Forget About Me
by WaterLilly37
Summary: Kagome, after witnessing Inuyasha and Kikyo together, has decided that enough is enough. She has dealt with the heartbreak time and time again, and for what? So when given the chance to start anew and forget all about the pain, she takes it. But at what cost? And what does this mean for Inuyasha? (InuxKag) & (KagxOC) Chapters 1-9 revised (06.15.17)
1. Chapter 1

**Hey Everyone. I had this idea for a few days now and I wanted to try it out. It's a little on the rough end because the ideas are coming to me in spurts. But I am trying to make this work because I thought it would make a good story! I also have some original characters of mine own that I added. They are mine although I don't own the rest of Inuyasha. If you would like to borrow them, just ask. Oh yeah, the poems in the beginning are mine so please don't steal. And hope you enjoy! ^_^**

 **All Chapters Updated: June 14, 2017**

 **; WaterLilly37 ;**

 **A simple memory of you, oh how it can do so much.**

 **It can make my heart flutter, or break it until it's crushed.**

 **So for now while I hurt, I'll keep your memory well hidden.**

 **And hide it deep within my heart, a place you are forbidden.**

 **Someday I might be strong enough to reflect on the memory of you.**

 **But I feel so weak, so tired, I know I'm not strong enough to make it through.**

 **So please don't hate me, don't be upset for what I had to do.**

 **I just can't take this anymore.**

 **This memory of you.**

 ** _; WaterLilly37 ;_**

 **~~Kagome~~**

 _"Kagome?"_

Kagome stirred under her sheets. What time was it? Surely she had a few more minutes she could sleep. It had been so long since she slept in her own bed. The soft sheets pressed against her were comforting and the warmth felt so nice. Camping all the time just didn't cut it.

 _"Kagome! Breakfast is done. Come downstairs before it gets cold."_

Kagome slowly opened her eyes and stared at the clock ahead of her. It was only 8am, but she had a lot of things to do so she figured she might as well get up and grab some breakfast. She pulled back the blankets, yawned and slipped on her slippers. She then proceeded to the kitchen where hot food awaited her.

 _"About time you got up. I thought I would have to make breakfast for you all over again"_ smiled her mother from the kitchen counter. She was over the sink washing a few dirty dishes from what Kagome could guess was her grandfather's and brother's breakfast. _"The boys already ate. Sota wanted to walk to school with some friends and grandpa wanted to start early on cleaning the shed."_

 _"I don't mind."_ Kagome sat down as her mouth began to water. Her mother's food was simply the best and she had missed it. She couldn't complain about the food over in the Feudal Era, but nothing beat home cooked meals.

 _"I left you some money on the side table there for supplies. I'm guessing you'll be heading back over there later today"_ Kagome's mother said while scrubbing one of the plates.

 _"Hhmmm",_ replied Kagome white stuffing her face with scrambled eggs and bacon. She swallowed. _"I've been home for three days and if I'm away any longer, Inuyasha will surely come here to fetch me. Besides, I've caught up in school for now."_

 _"Do you want help with the shopping then? I don't have anything to do and it speed up the process?"_ offered Kagome's mother.

Kagome smiled, _"Sure, I could use the help."_

 _"Great! I'll get ready and tell your grandfather."_

 **~~ Inuyasha~~**

Inuyasha sat impatiently on a limb of a tree, listening for the tiniest sound coming from the Bone Eater's well that sat not even ten feet from the tree he rested on. With his hands behind his head, legs stretched out and eyes closed, you would swear he was sleeping. However, the slight twitching of his ears indicated to many, the hanyou was wide awake and pissed.

 _"Where the hell is she? She said three days damnit. Isn't that enough for her or does she have to keep pressing for more time which we don't have."_ Inuyasha every now and again would open his eyes and stare off into his own world. It seemed better than to ponder about the reality he was living in. The reality where Naraku still walked the earth and Kikyo was somewhere out there. With the Skikon jewel nearly completed, Inuyasha and the others knew they were pressed for time. They had to act soon or they would be in trouble.

Inuyasha glanced at the Bone Eater's well once more. _"Damnit Kagome, hurry up will you? Or do I have to fetch you myself."_

All of a sudden, Inuyasha stopped his train of thought as he caught something in the air. A scent.

Kikyo's scent.

It smells close by. Could it really be Kikyo? And why was she around the village?

 _"I could chance it but if Kagome gets back, she'll be mad."_ Inuyasha thought. The last thing he wanted to do was piss off Kagome, and running after Kikyo would do just that. However, he hadn't seen Kikyo in a long time and no matter how much he tried to force Kikyo out, she would always be in his heart. Probably for as long as he lived.

 _"Kagome, please forgive me. I won't be long. I just got to make sure she's ok. I promise."_ And with that, the hanyou jumped down from the tree and starting running in Kikyo's direction.

From behind the Bone Eater's Well, Shippo appear as he watched Inuyasha run off into the woods. Kirara stepped out as well and began to meow quietly.

 _"Idiot, he's supposed to be waiting for Kagome. Where is he running off to? Oh well, I guess we can wait here for her until Inuyasha comes back."_

Just then, Kirara meowed a little louder this time and looked towards the sky. Shippo finally took notice of Kirara and looked to the direction the demon cat was staring. Up in the sky, a long white demon carrying a soul was flying towards the direction Inuyasha was heading.

 _"That idiot!,"_ yelled Shippo while grabbing his light orange hair in small fists. _"Kagome is going to be so mad when she gets back…"_

 **~~Daisuke (OC) ~~**

A young human male, roughly nineteen, rested against a tree. He had laid his sword across his lap and beside him was a small box filled with rags, solutions, and other simple sword cleaning materials. Daisuke always took care of his sword, it was his pride. He would never mistreat such a great gift he had received from a precious friend. The only friend he ever had who was murdered the day his village was attacked.

He had barely escaped himself. It was such a harsh battle and left Daisuke wandering the rest of his days in search of the demons who had attacked his village. There was no warning of the attack and left everyone dead, besides himself and an elder name Ara.

The sword was huge, its length was roughly between five feet and its width being about one foot. It was very heavy and hard to handle but after some training, Daisuke found that handling the sword became quite easy. In fact, he mastered it within months. The elder, Ara, thought it would have taken him years. He named his sword Katsu which meant victory. With it, he felt that he couldn't lose.

He put the rag down and signed, rubbing his soft short raven black hair. He was tired and had ventured aimlessly for about two weeks. No demons were around lately which was quite odd. He grew restless and so did Katsu. They were well ready for another fight.

His last real battle happened in a small village when a demon attacked. He had managed to save the village and was expecting some shelter and maybe a meal. However, he learned that the village became afraid of him because he resembled so much like this Bankutso from the band of seven. He laughed it off saying he was not this person, but he would kindly leave to reassure the people and to cause them no harm.

Two long weeks it has been. Where were all the demons?

And just like that, a call.

Katsu began to pulse sending a warning to Daisuke. A demon was close by. Not just one but two, and they weren't to be taken lightly.

 _"Well well well,_ " smiled Daisuke. _"We might just be having ourselves a little party."_

 **~~ Kagome ~~**

With one leap, Kagome fell into the well and was engolfed by a blue light. She remembered how this way of travel would always seem to make her sick, and how quickly she had gotten use to it. Within seconds she had hit solid ground and once again was inside the Bone Eater's Well. She placed a few of the bags down on the ground and looked up.

No Inuyasha? How strange. Usually he'd be staring down at her and complaining how long she had taken.

 _"Inuyasha?"_ Kagome tried calling out. _"Are you there?"_

 _"Kagome! You're back!"_

 _"Shippo? Where's Inuyasha?"_ Shippo and Kirara looked down the well and smiled down at Kagome. She was not going to like the answer.

 _"He ran off as soon as he saw one of Kikyo's soul eaters,"_ replied Shippo angrily. _"But don't worry Kagome, Kirara and I will help you to the village."_

Kagome signed. Of course he would run off when Kikyo was around. It was so just like him. Even though she wanted him to stay with her, Kikyo would always come first to Inuyasha. Why couldn't she just accept that?

Within moments, the three had all the bags taken up from the well and laid to the side. Kagome was tying the bags up to make sure nothing would fall out, all the while thinking about Inuyasha. For some reason, she didn't feel right.

 _"Shippo, you and Kirara bring the goods to the village. Tell Sango and Miroku that I'm gone to find Inuyasha. If we don't make it back by sun down, then come find us."_ Kagome instructed.

 _"Sure, but why don't I come with you? Kirara can bring the bags—"_

 _"Shippo, I need you to tell Sango and Miroku in person and tell them that we think we might have found Kikyo, hence why we are not with you."_

 _"Ok Kagome,"_ Shippo said in defeat. Kagome patted his head and smiled down at the small kutsune.

 _"Here, a treat just for you."_ Shippo took the lollipop from Kagome's hand as the disappointment disappeared from his face completely.

 _"Thanks Kagome! Come Kirara, to the village we go."_

Kagome turned and faced the woods. She could sense something in the distance. It had to be Kikyo which meant Inuyasha was there as well. She promised herself she would only take a glance and if they were ok, she would leave.

And hopefully leave with her heart in one piece.

 **~~ X ~~**

Kagome had walked what seemed like an eternity. Her heart was racing as she felt a giant lump in her chest form. She pushed some of the forest brush away, trying to walk slowly through it. It was pretty thick where she was going.

 _"Why am I doing this?"_ thought Kagome, mentally attacking herself. _"I'm getting nowhere fast and I'm just going to stumble upon something I don't want to see."_ She couldn't help what she felt. Of course, she never wished that Kikyo would disappear or fall off the face of the planet like most people had envisioned she wanted to do. It was just that it made her relationship with Inuyasha difficult. Something she would have to get use to.

Just then, she noticed one of Kikyo's soul eaters fly by. Kagome ran to the nearest tree and hid behind it hoping that the small demon hadn't noticed her. It continued on its way toward the direction Kagome was headed.

 _So it was Kikyo..._

Kagome signed and slid down the side of the tree until her bottom hit the ground. What was the point of going any further? She knew what they were probably doing and she certainly didn't want to be a spectator. She lowered her head to her knees and wrapped her arms around herself.

 _This is what you get Kagome for snooping where you know you shouldn't._

Just then she heard a noise from a far distance that sounded like a woman's scream. Kagome bolted up and looked in the direction where Kikyo's soul eater had flown.

 _That sounded like Kikyo. Maybe she's in trouble. But where's Inuyasha? Shouldn't he be rescuing her?_

Kagome glanced around the area as she heard another scream.

 _She is in trouble. I got to do something!_

And with that, Kagome started running in the direction of Kikyo's voice.

In the tree canapy above, a demon sat on a branch peering down at the miko who was trying so desperately to make her way to the commotion up ahead. His skin was a baby blue and his eyes an ocean green. He had long pointed ears and his dark green hair was tied in a pony tail in the back. Across his back in an "x" formation, he kept two twin blades. He smiled down at the Miko.

 _"Looks like everything is working out according to plan. Naraku will be quite pleased."_


	2. Chapter 2

**Do you know a life of loneliness**

 **And one filled with pain?**

 **Living a life with nothing to gain**

 **Surrounded by darkness**

 **Overwhelmed with shame.**

 **A life without peace**

 **With no one to blame**

 **By: Michelle Boyd**

 **Hey Everyone! Here is the next chapter. It's a little longer than what I am use to writing but I wanted to try and speed up the process and get to the more interesting parts of the story. Please, don't forget to leave a review! It can be a compliment, opinion, or even criticism! All is welcomed. So here you go!**

 **~~ Inuyasha~~**

Inuyasha punched a tree in frustration.

He had lost Kikyo's scent.

" _Damnit!"_ he shouted as he threw another punch to the tree, leaving behind a small indent where the bark had broken off.

Inuyasha knew Kikyo was around this forest somewhere. Her scent was strong when he first entered the forest and he had spotted her winged demons flying around the area searching for souls.

 _"Come on,"_ Inuyasha thought to himself. _"Give me some clue to tell me where you are Kikyo."_ He looked up to the sky. No soul collectors to be found. Her scent all but vanished.

Just then, he caught another scent.

Blood. And lots of it.

 _"Whose blood is this?"_ Inuyasha said aloud. It was strange. Though he could smell blood, he couldn't figure out whose blood it was. In fact, it almost seemed like his sense of smell was off. As if distorted by something...

Just then, Inuyasha heard a scream close by. He didn't need his nose to know who that was.

 _"Kikyo!"_

He sprinted towards her voice. Trees and bushes went by in a blur with Inuyasha barely giving them a second glance.

He noticed movement up ahead. He ran even faster.

He ran directly into the clearing and took a second to register in his mind what he was seeing. Kikyo had what looked to be a demon pinned up against a tree, dagger in hand and across the demons throat. The demon had baby blue eyes, long pointed ears and light purple hair that flowed all the way down her back. She was wearing light armor and placed at her right side was a white flute. The demon had been hurt, as a dark black liquid trailed down the demon's right shoulder all the way down to her right leg. She gritted her teeth.

Kikyo didn't budge but held the demon in place.

" _Kikyo!"_ Inuyasha shouted. Kikyo didn't take her eyes off the demon but Inuyasha knew that she had probably anticipated his arrival since they were so close to the Bone Eater's Well.

 _"Huh,"_ snickered the purple haired demon. _"Looks like your hero has arrived to save the day!"_ Kikyo didn't bother to take the bait of the demon.

" _Inuyasha, you need to leave"_ Kikyo said, in a stern tune. She began to push the dagger upon the neck of the demon even harder. Inuyasha could see a small trickle of blood start to escape from the demon's newly fresh cut.

 _"What is going on? Who is she?"_ Inuyasha began, but Kikyo turned her glaze to the hanyou and gave him a cold angry stare.

 _"It matters not, you need to leave. Go, before this demon-"_ and just as Kikyo realized what was happening, the demon evaporated into thin air. Kikyo, dagger still in hand, started looking around the clearing.

" _Inuyasha go!"_ she called out. But it was too late.

The demon reappeared from behind Inuyasha and made a swinging motion towards the back of his head. Instead of hitting her mark, the small sword that the demon held made contact with Kikyo's right arm. Blood sprayed around the ground as Kikyo dropped to her knees.

" _Kikyo!"_ Inuyasha cried, bending down next to the priestess. His eyes lit up with anger when he noticed the large slash in Kikyo's arm. _"Damnit Kikyo, why did you do that?"_ Kikyo just gave the hanyou a little smile.

 _"You really are naive Inuyasha"_ she calmy said as she put pressure on her arm as the blood continued to soak her white kimono red.

 _"Ah, did I hurt your little girlfriend? Boo-hoo!"_ laughed the demon as her voice echoed from within the forest. _"Too bad for you, she'll probably die from blood loss before you have a chance to save her."_ Inuyasha stood up and from his shealth, he pulled Tetsaiga. The sword came to life as Inuyasha held it in his hand, ready for battle.

" _Oh, so the big bag boyfriend wants to play, does he? That's funny. Can you even find me?"_ The demon laughed, her voice coming from all angles. Inuyasha couldn't pin-point the exact location and this frustrated him.

" _Inuyasha,it's no good to use your senses. Yuko's barrier will distort all your senses."_ Kikyo explained, as she continued to stare beyond the hanyou and into the forest. _"She's not a normal demon."_

" _I don't care, I will kill her"_ was the hanyou's only replied as he began scanning the area for any indication of the demon's whereabouts.

Just then, a swirl of light purple colored petals appeared above one of the tree's branches as the demon resurfaced, smiling down upon the two.

 _"Kill me? What confidence we have! But I am afraid you should listen to little miss priestess over there. I am no ordinary demon."_ Inuyasha took three steps before leaping up in the air and swinging Tetsaiga at the demon's body. Without Yuko even blinking, Inuyasha was thrown back by a force he couldn't see. He landed on his feet with one hand on the ground to gain balance.

" _For a demon that thinks she's so strong, it's kind of sad that she has to use barriers to fight!"_

Yuko smiled. _"Who says I will be the one fighting?"_ The demon took out her flute and pressed it to her lips.

 _"NO!"_ Kikyo cried and she stood up and took a step towards the demon. Blood began to gush out of her arm as the miko collapsed upon the ground again. In the short amount of time since her wound, Kikyo had lost a lot of blood. Inuyasha could see the pain in her eyes.

The demon began to play a soft melody. Upon hearing the sound, Inuyasha could feel his body begin to ignore him. He stood up and lowered his sword.

Yuko stopped playing and smiled.

 _"Good boy!"_ She teased. _"Now it's time to properly train this pup!"_ The song began again.

Inuyasha tried fighting it off but he could feel his body giving up complete control. He was under the demon's spell.

" _I got to do something about her song"_ Inuyasha thought, but how? He couldn't even control his own body. The song began to change.

Inuyasha began to raise Tetsaiga and turn his attention onto Kikyo. He then proceeded to walk towards her.

Kikyo clenched her arm where she sustained her wound and continued to stare at Inuyasha who was making his way over to her.

 _"No!"_ thought the hanyou, but he was powerless. No matter what he tried to do, the demon had complete control over him. The only thing he still had left was his mind.

 _"That's right!"_ cheered Yuko, holding the flute to her chest and grinning. _"Now it's time to teach little priestess here what it means to pick on a demon such as myself! Let's end her by the one she loves! Oh what fun!"_

Kikyo tried yelling at Inuyasha.

 _"You got to fight her control Inuyasha! Don't let her in!"_

Inuyasha screamed at his body to stop as he watched with horror as he raised Tetsaiga in the air.

With one swift movement, he made contact with his sword and Kikyo's body. Kikyo let out a scream as more blood escaped her and covered the ground and Inuyasha along with it.

Inuyasha was screaming too. Though on the outside he appeared calm and collected; the demon was still in control.

" _Fun fun fun!"_ Yuko jumped down from the tree she was perched on and walked towards the hanyou and priestess. _"Did I mention that I was not a normal demon, hmm?"_ She chuckled as she wrapped her arm around the hanyou's. Then she turned her attention to Kikyo. _"Should have killed me when you had the chance."_

Kikyo's breathing became fast and unsteady, as she peered up from the demon and her once beloved hanyou.

" _Well, wish I could stay but I really have a lot of things to do."_ The demon girl turned to face Inuyasha and began leaning into his ear. _"It's been a pleasure, my pup! But it's time to finish her off"_ And with that, a swirl of petals began dancing around Yuko as she disappeared.

Inuyasha was still under Yuko's influence. He looked at Kikyo with a cold blank stare before he once again raised Tetsaiga to the air. Kikyo closed her eyes. She was too weak to do anything due to the blood loss and the pain from Inuyasha's blow.

Inuyasha, with one last attempt, tried to take control of his body again as he watched his priestess brace herself for one last blow by his hand.

 **~~ Kagome~~**

Kagome continued to run towards the direction she heard Kikyo scream from. She didn't sound very far, but as Kagome was running she couldn't find signs of the priestess anywhere.

" _And where is Inuyasha?"_ Kagome had a sinking feeling that they were in danger.

Just then, she noticed a clearing not too far away where her beloved hanyou stood only feet away, back on to her.

Inuyasha!

Kagome made her way into the clearing and towards the hanyou when she noticed something was off. Inuyasha stood only feet from Kikyo, but instead of helping her, he had his Tetsaiga raised as if he was about to strike down.

What was he doing?! Kagome ran towards the two as fast as her feet would allow her, all the while screaming Inuyasha's name.

The hanyou failed to respond.

Kikyo turned to face Kagome and raised her hand up, trying to warn her. Kagome could see by now that Kikyo was hurt, very badly hurt.

Oh no!

Instead of taking Kikyo's warning, Kagome jumped in between Tetsaiga's blade and Kikyo, making herself into a human shield for Tetsaiga's blow. One look into the hanyou's blank expression and she knew that Inuyasha was not the one in control.

 _"Inuyasha, wake up!"_ The young woman cried out at the top of her lungs. She didn't know if this would actually work or not, but what else could she do?

She closed her eyes and waited for the striking blow upon her, but nothing happened. Just like that, she heard the sound of Tetsaiga being dropped to the ground and reverting back to its old rusted state. Kagome opened her eyes.

What she saw almost torn her heart in half. Inuyasha stood there, covered in Kikyo's blood, and crying. Tears had started to fall from the hanyou's eyes and hit the ground.

" _Kikyo..."_ he said softly, looking beyond Kagome as if she didn't even exist. Kagome felt a little tug in her heart. Of course he wouldn't see her. Not while Kikyo was around.

Inuyasha ran towards Kikyo and put his hands on her shoulders. With tears still slowly running down each cheek, he muttered apology after apology.

Did he do this to her?

Kagome didn't know what to do. What could she do? She felt like she was intruding on their moment. But where was she suppose to go?

" _Inuyasha... please...take me to Kaede"_ Kikyo said in a low voice. She was trying to fight with the last bit of energy she had, but one look could tell she wouldn't last much longer. She needed help.

Inuyasha choked back the tears as he wrapped his arms around Kikyo. His face tightened as his face clearly showed the pain he was in.

" _Don't die on me Kikyo... please, don't leave me again"_ He gripped her even tighter and drew her body close, as if he was trying with all of his might to keep death at bay.

Kagome noticed that Kikyo had finally lost consciousness as her body went limp in Inuyasha's arms.

" _Kikyo!"_ he cried.

" _Inuyasha, she'll be fine but we got to find her help right now"_ Kagome went to touch Inuyasha's arm but with one quick movement, he pushed her hand away. Tears were replaced with anger as he gritted his teeth.

" _I know that!"_ He snapped. Kagome withdrew. What was his problem?! She understood he was upset but he didn't have to take it out on her. She was just trying to help.

" _Kikyo... stay with me just a little longer. I will find you help"_ Inuyasha stroked Kikyo's hair, trying to keep a decent composure through all that had just happened. Before Kagome could even register what was going on, Inuyasha gently kissed Kikyo's forehead and proceeded to touch his forehead with hers, as more tears started to well up in his eyes.

" _Don't leave me. I need you Kikyo."_

Kagome took a few steps back as she felt her own heart being crushed from the inside. It wasn't like she was new to this feeling. Every time Inuyasha was with Kikyo, Kagome had experienced feelings like this, but this time it felt like it was worse. She always knew that Inuyasha loved Kikyo, and probably always would. But to hear those words come from his mouth when she never heard so much as a compliment from him, it was crushing her.

Kagome could feel her own tears starting to form, when all of a sudden she heard familiar voices call out.

" _Kagome! Inuyasha! There you are!"_ Kagome quickly wiped away any feelings she was currently feeling and turned to face the sky where Kilala was coming with Sango, Miroku, and Shippo in tow.

With a quick thud, they landed only feet from where Kagome, Inuyasha, and Kikyo were.

 _"Sango, we need hel-"_

" _Sango!"_ Inuyasha interrupted Kagome, as he stood with Kikyo in his arms. _"Kikyo, she's hurt! I need you to help me bring her to the village."_ Sango and Miroku, who quickly surveyed the situation, jumped from Kilala's back and quickly got to helping Inuyasha with Kikyo's limp body. Miroku instantly started ripping off fabric from his robe and tying it to Kikyo's body, trying to stop the rest of the blood from flowing out. Sango started directing orders to Kilala to lie down so as to load Kikyo's body upon her companion's back. Inuyasha started to help Sango out with lifting Kikyo's body. And Kagome...

Kagome just stood there, dumbstruck. Why wasn't she helping? Why wasn't she running over to help her friends when someone was in desperate need for her help. Why?

A small tear trickled down Kagome's cheek.

She was the worst.

Just a few feet from her, a woman was itching towards death and all she could think about was about Inuyasha and Kikyo. Inuyasha showed so much pain and love for this woman when all she ever did was hurt him. So why was he so mad at her and push her away when all she ever did was care about him?

Anger boiled up within Kagome.

She was mad at Kikyo for always butting in when it was going good between her and Inuyasha. She was mad at Inuyasha for always choosing Kikyo over her, when all she wanted was to be appreciated and loved by him.

But the one she was mad at most was herself, because for a fleeting moment when she stumbled upon the scene of Inuyasha and Kikyo, she wanted Kikyo to disappear. She wanted Inuyasha to finish her off. She wanted so badly to see Kikyo succumb to the injuries she had sustained. She wanted Inuyasha to look at her, and only her.

And in that fleeting moment, Kagome knew.

She stared at her friends who were busy helping Kikyo and working so hard to keep her alive.

" _I'm sorry"_ she whispered. And that's when she quietly walked away from her friends, tears flowing down her face, never once looking back.

 **~~ Daisuke (OC) ~~**

Daisuke sat there feeling frustrated and annoyed. Only moments before, he and Katsu (his sword) had sensed two very strong demons nearby and they were all but ready for a little action. However, they never came across a single demon and certainly none with the power he had sensed before.

It annoyed him that he missed such an opportunity and it frustrated him that he was left twiddling his thumbs and doing nothing while the days passed on.

" _Ughhhh!"_ Daisuke cried out, rubbing his head through frustration. _"Would it be too much to ask to have a little demon to hunt?"_ He leaned against a tree and signed. Maybe word got out about him hunting demons and they all fled in fear of him. Yeah, that must be it.

Just then, Katsu started acting up again. Daisuke sat up quickly and looked at his pride and joy. _"Ah! Demons!"_ He smiled from ear to ear. He was given another chance! And like hell he would lose the demon a second time.

He quickly jumped up and started scanning the area for any demons that would be within ear shot or eye sight. But he didn't hear anything.

" _Hey now..."_ Daisuke picked up his sword and started to shake it. _"Don't tell me you're broken?"_ The sword reacted even stronger, vibrating even Daisuke's arm. _"Ok ok! You're not broken."_ Jeez.

Daisuke stopped cold when he heard what sounded like footsteps coming from only a few feet away. He smirked.

Show time!

He ran over to a tree which had thick broad branches and with one leap, landed upon one of the thicker branches the tree had. He began to watch silently for his prey.

To his dismay, a young woman with raven black hair was walking in his direction. She kept her head down and walked rather fast, as if she was in a hurry to get somewhere.

" _Huh. Well that's no fun"_ Daisuke signed and he sat down on the branch. It was only a human and he wasn't about to hunt a human, no matter how bored he got. He placed Katsu on his lap and stared down at it.

" _You got me all excited over a human?!"_ Daisuke was disappointed, but even more confused. Katsu had never reacted to anything other than demons before. So why was it reacting over this human girl?

 _"Well, I guess the party's over. Time to head back to camp –"_ Katsu began to vibrate and was sending strong vibes throughout Daisuke's body. _"No way! I'm not hunting no human!"_ The sword continued to react as if ignoring its master's words.

Daisuke looked over to the girl who was slowly getting further and further away. She didn't seem special, so why was it her to make his sword react the way it was?

And as if the gods themselves were answering his question, he saw a dark image only feet away from the human girl jump from tree to tree.

" _Ah, there you are!"_


	3. Chapter 3

**You have beaten me down**

 **So low and now**

 **I am no longer whole**

 **I'm losing control.**

 **You have taken me to**

 **A place where I**

 **Can no longer feel**

-WaterLilly37-

 **~~ Kagome ~~**

" _Stupid! I am so stupid!"_ Kagome thought, hands balled into fists and head down as she continued to walk in the opposite direction of her companions. Not only was she upset about the recent events, but she felt like she was running away like a child would when not getting her own way.

Yet she continued to walk.

The forest was getting thicker and Kagome wasn't paying attention to exactly where she was going, thus heading deeper and deeper in with no real way of getting herself out. She wouldn't have been surprised if she was already lost. But it seemed fitting.

She didn't know what to do anymore or how to control the emotions that came flooding out. And the fact she, even for just a second, thought about someone as a hindrance that should be disposed of, scared her. Was she really willing to see a life end in order to be with the one she loved?

She raised her arms and hugged them tight to her body as a single tear escaped from her eye and slowly starting down her cheek. She didn't bother to brush it away. It wasn't like anyone was going to see her cry. She pressed forward.

She imagined her friends not realizing she was missing due to the commotion and the severity of Kikyo's injuries. That meant she would have plenty of time to let the bottled up tears spill over.

She stopped walking and crouched, arms hugging her legs with her head resting on her knees.

" _I am so stupid"_ She finally stopped holding back, allowing herself to cry properly and let everything she ever bottled up out.

" _Now now, there really is no need for tears, is there?"_ Kagome instantly stopped as the realization of someone – _or something –_ was right dab in the middle of the forest with her. And a voice she did not recognize.

She quickly wiped her eyes and turned around to face whoever it was the voice belonged to. Nobody was there. All she could see for miles was trees, brush, and wild flowers that grew in pockets along the forest floors.

" _Who are you?"_ Kagome cautiously asked, while standing her ground. She didn't have any weapons on her, or any way to defend herself. At this point, she was an easy kill to any demon wandering the forest. Why didn't she just stay with her friends?

" _Don't worry; I don't want to hurt you. I am just wondering why you are crying is all. We don't see many humans in this part of the forest"_ The voice definitely belonged to a male, that much Kagome knew. The way he addressed her as a human also clicked with her that who she was dealing with was, in fact, a demon. Chills went up her spine. She needed to get back to the gang without being this demon's next victim.

" _I'm fine!"_ Kagome tried calling out in no particular direction. She tried listening again really hard, to find out where the voice had come from. If she was going to try and escape, she would have to go in the opposite way of the demon, and not walk right into its open arms. _"If that's all you want, I'll be leaving now."_

Just then, Kagome noticed a dark shadow jump from the left corner of her eye from one tree to another located right behind her. She quickly turned to face the tree. Nothing was there.

" _Nobody cries like that without a reason. I've seen my share of tears"_ the demon replied, softening his tone but still, something was off. Kagome continued to scan the area to the best of her ability. What she wouldn't give to have Inuyasha's ears, Miroku's brains, or Sango's ability to defend herself at the moment. No, she had to rely on her own powers now. She calmly took a breath. She would talk her way out.

" _It was nothing,"_ Kagome replied. _"Just something stupid."_

" _That all? I feel as if you are lying. You don't have any reason to lie to me. I just wanted to help you."_ The voice responded.

" _Help me?"_ Kagome didn't trust this demon. _"How can I trust you to help me when you won't even talk to me in person?"_

" _The lady has a point. Would you like me to come down?"_

" _Yes"_

" _Very well. But you must promise me that you won't try any funny business."_ Kagome was confused. She was certainly no threat.

She noticed a branch move to her right and turned her attention to it. Just as her eyes focused on the shape in the tree, it jumped down in one quick movement and landed on his feet as if the fall was nothing.

Definitely a demon.

Kagome stared at the demon that had a lot of resemblance to a human. His skin was baby blue with ocean green eyes to match. His long hair was tied in the back with a band and its length was double hers. She noticed the pointed ears which made her think of this demon as an elf, much like in the fairy tales she use to read as a child. He wore a simple white gown with a black and blue robe over it.

" _Better?"_ The demon asked with a voice that was soft and soothing. He didn't seem scary, but Kagome knew that looks could be deceiving. Much too often was she tricked into thinking a demon was a good guy to turn out to betray them in the end. She continued to stare at the demon, not wanting to look away and give him a chance to make the first move.

" _So,"_ Kagome started. _"What do you want with me?"_

" _Didn't I already tell you? You were crying. I wanted to know why."_

" _And you think I would just open up to a complete stranger and even more so, a demon? I have no reason to answer you."_

The demon just gave her a small smile and placed one hand upon his chest with the other placed behind his back. He then proceeded to bow.

" _I am sorry. Let me introduce myself"_ The demon stood up once again. _"My name is Eiji. I am one of the many guardians in this forest. My duty is to protect everything that roams through this area and kill those that threaten it"_ The demon began taking small steps towards Kagome. _"And I can sense that you are no threat."_

Kagome let what the demon said sink in. If he was in fact a guardian of this forest, than how far did she end up walking? The last she'd known, she was in Inuyasha Forest. It didn't make sense for her to have entered a whole other area for the amount of time she traveled. It didn't make sense.

" _So guardian of the forest, how can I believe what you tell me is the truth?"_

" _Ah, you have doubts. But of course you do. See, you are in my realm called The Jaaku Omoide Forest or the Abandoned Memories Forest if you'd prefer."_

" _Abandoned Memories?"_ Kagome was confused. _"This is Inuyasha Forest. I've been here countless times!"_

Eiji smiled, showing a set of perfectly white teeth, sharp and long.

" _My lady, you were indeed in Inuyasha Forest but I'm afraid that you are no longer there. See, my Forest is not like any other forest. You can't just simply get in because you want to. No, my forest is special. The only ones who can get here are the ones who want it the most."_

" _I don't get it. Want what the most?"_

" _Freedom"_ Eiji replied simply. He walked even closer to the young miko until there were only feet apart from them. _"And I can tell that you really want your freedom, don't you?"_

Kagome wished that this demon would start making sense. Every time he spoke, she got even more confused about her situation. She shook her head.

" _That's ridiculous. I already have my freedom. It's not like I am chained to a person, place or thing. I can do and say whatever I want."_ Kagome started to take a step or two back, _"So I really think I should be going."_

Just as Kagome turned around to leave, she noticed a figure in the distance not even ten feet away. Her heart skipped a beat. So he did come to find her!

Inuyasha!

But her moment was quickly abolished when she noticed that he was not in fact looking for her. Instead he was back onto her as if he was talking to someone else. Kagome took another few steps forward and it took only that for her to regret even moving at all.

Inuyasha was leaning into Kikyo who was back against a tree. They were only inches apart and smiling. Kikyo slowly wrapped her arms around the hanyou and drew him close to her. Inuyasha didn't hesistate nor pushed her away, much like he would have done to her if she was in Kikyo's place. Kagome could feel all the heartbreak once again, leaving her to clutch her chest and fight back tears that she couldn't stop.

The hanyou leaned into Kikyo as he made contact with her lips.

Kagome turned away. Why did he have to do that there! Why couldn't he have waited until she could run somewhere else and not be exposed to their love over and over again.

 _"Now now, my child. No need to cry"_ Eiji answered, as he placed a hand upon her shoulder. This made Kagome jump as she realized that she allowed the demon to get this close to her. _"Like I said, this is the realm of Abandoned Memories. This, my child, is but a memory deep within you. It is not real."_

" _What do you mean?"_

" _It's just a memory. This forest can take what is in your heart and have it play out for you in the real world. What you saw was just one of your memories come to life. And it's a pretty powerful one at that."_

" _I want to leave!"_ Kagome said, her voice trembling trying to choke back the hurt she was feeling. She didn't want to see anymore of her memories come to life.

" _But I can help you."_ Kagome didn't look convinced. _"See, I am the guardian of this forest which means I can control the memories you have. I can help you so that you don't have to see them anymore"_

As much as Kagome knew this was more than likely a trick, she felt intrigued.

" _How?"_

" _Easy."_ Eiji smiled. " _I can make you forget them."_

" _Forget them? You can do that?"_ Kagome wasn't even sure why she was entertaining the idea to allow the demon to remove her memories. It was clearly a bad decision. But maybe it was because after all this time, she was finally sick of being the one hurting.

" _Yes, I can grant you the freedom from your pain, the freedom from the memories that hurt you the most. Abandon the pain and I shall let you being anew."_

The more Kagome thought about it, the more she wanted to forget. Even if it was just for a little while. She just wanted to live her life without having to suffer through her own feelings for Inuyasha, a hanyou who already belonged to another.

" _I want to forget..."_ Kagome whispered to absolutely no one in particular, as she sank to her knees and put her hands to her face. _"I can't take it anymore…"_

Eiji walked over to the weeping miko and placed his hand upon her head. _"But of course you do."_ He replied. _"And so, I shall grant your freedom."_

A bright blue light eliminated from Eiji's hand as he placed it upon the young miko's dead, absorbing some sort of energy from Kagome. After only a few moments, Eiji moved his hand slowly away from the miko and formed his hand into a fist.

The light that came from Kagome slowly dimmed in the demon's hand.

" _I got it."_

Eiji opened his hand to see a small jewel that looked to hold the galaxy within it. It was a mixture of purples and blues, swirling around in the palm of the demon's hand. It was beautiful.

" _Ah, a beautiful gem from a beautiful miko."_ Eiji looked over to Kagome who was now lying on the ground unconscious.

She fell for it perfectly.

 **~~ Daisuke ~~**

Daisuke had followed the shadow that had been following the human in hopes of maybe getting a fight or two in to cure his boredom. However, things didn't turn out as planned. Instead, he followed the two into a barrier that the human girl didn't seem to notice. He was going to warn her, but he was more curious as to what would actually happen. Who knows, he might just get a fight out of it.

As soon as they disappeared beyond the barrier, Daisuke quickly followed in after them. He wasn't sure if the demon would be able to sense his presence within the barrier, but he was going to take his chances.

As soon as he entered, he noticed that the human girl and demon had disappeared from his view. He was confused. He was sure that he went in right after them, so how did they manage to get away from him so easily?

Daisuke wasn't one to sit back and do nothing, especially if it meant that he could get in a good fight. So he unsheathed Katsu and held it out in front of him. If there was anything that his sword was great at, other than sensing demons, it was finding them.

 _"Ok Katsu! Let's find us a demon!"_

The sword started to hum to life. Daisuke could feel the energy within his weapon as it started to glow a dim white. And like that, the glow from the sword formed into a small ball that floated only feet away from the energetic demon hunter.

 _"Now, show me the way!"_ In a blink of an eye, the glowing ball shot towards the north leaving nothing but a faint white trail of light in the direction it was going.

Daisuke followed the trail as fast as he could. He wasn't sure what was going on, but he had a sinking feeling that the human girl he saw walk into the barrier earlier was more likely to be a victim than a friend.

After running for what seemed to Daisuke as "too long", he finally saw the glowing white ball disperse into nothingness. This is where he would find the demon. Now if only he could be assured that the demon wasn't in fact just waiting for his arrival.

He leaped up into the trees, using the canopy of leaves to shield him from any eyes that were unaware of his presence. That is, if they didn't already know. But he couldn't take any chances with being found out.

As he peered down, he noticed the young woman staring off in the distance, water pooling in her eyes as they came down, born as tears. Daisuke looked at the direction the young girl was looking in.

He didn't get it.

There was nothing there. Had the girl gone mad? Was it some kind of illusion? He wasn't sure, but just one look at her and Daisuke knew that whatever it was she was seeing, it was painful to her.

" _Hmm, what's the deal here..."_ he thought to himself. Surely, the demon had a reason for bringing the girl here and making her...cry? Did he come all the way here to save a girl from a demon that was hurting her feelings?

He rubbed his hand through his hair and signed. Well, he came all the way here. Might as well stick it out and see what information he would get about this demon before he broke up their little get together.

Daisuke continued to watch, now sitting against the tree trunk with Katsu in his lap. By now, the young girl was on her knees and crying hard. The demon was only feet away from her and looked as if he was telling her something.

Daisuke couldn't hear what they were saying but the look that the girl had given the demon said it all. She was interested in what he had to say. And just like that, the demon placed his hand on her head and within seconds, a light came from the girl and gathered in the hand of the demon.

And now, here he was looking down at the demon and the unconscious girl who had fallen only seconds after the light was extracted from her. In the demon's hand was a jewel no bigger than a coin.

" _I got it"_ He heard the demon say, as he raised the jewel in the air to let the light of the sun reflect off the jewel as the sky and trees were painted with the colors of purple and blue. _"Ah, a beautiful gem from a beautiful miko"_

Just then, Katsu began to react sending Daisuke a very important but clear message.

Get the jewel.

He couldn't just waltz right in there and demand the thing, but he didn't have much time to make up a very good strategy either. He had a feeling that the demon wouldn't be sticking around much longer and if that happened, he might lose his chance to get the jewel.

So without much hesitation, Daisuke took Katsu in one hand and jumped down into the clearing where the unconscious girl lay and the demon stood.

" _Isn't that a shame?"_ Daisuke taunted, landing only feet away from the demon. _"I wasn't even invited to join your party!"_ He swung his sword in the demon's direction. The demon moved as if he was the wind itself, and landed upon a branch high above the tree. _"Damn, you can move."_

" _I was wondering when you would make your presence known"_ Eiji smirked at the hunter, eyeing the fairly large blade in his hand. _"Ah, nice weapon you have there. It seems that it has a lifeforce all it's own"_

" _Yeah yeah,"_ Daisuke interrupted. _"Enough with the chitchat, let's dance!"_ Daisuke tightened his grip on Katsu and made a running leap towards Eiji, swinging his sword once again.

And just as easily, Eiji moved out of the way and back down to the ground.

" _I'm afraid you'll have to move a little faster if you wish to fight with me"_ the demon taunted. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and smiled. Just then he pulled his arms away from his chest revealing two twin blades, each the length of his arms shining from the reflection of the sun. _"Not like it would matter much anyway."_

Eiji, in a blink of an eye, disappeared from Daisuke's view. Daisuke braced himself for a hit, as he continued to look and listen in all directions for any movement that might give up his opponent's position. No such luck.

Before Daisuke knew it, the demon Eiji had struck down with his swords sending blasts of energy towards Daisuke. The blasts had caused Daisuke to be blown a few dozen feet away from his original position, but he managed to catch himself. He quickly turned around.

" _Now that's what I am talking about!"_ He gleamed. _"I love a challenge!"_

Just as soon as he reappeared, the demon was gone again. Daisuke stood up and positioned Katsu in front of him. He stood still as he began to listen for the demon's movements again.

And just like the last time, Daisuke had no time to respond before Eiji sent another blast of energy his way. This time, Daisuke avoided it but not without the demon appearing before him and swinging his swords, one at a time. Daisuke used Katsu so block the attacks as Eiji kept swinging his blades, over and over, pushing Daisuke back from the force.

In-between the right blade hitting Katsu and the left one coming down for the attack, Daisuke barrel rolled to his right and again swung Katsu at the demon. But Eiji was just too fast.

" _What a shame, you'll die here before your blade will ever touch me"_ the demon smirked.

Daisuke just smiled back. _"Wasn't the first time I heard that. And I'll let you guess what happened to them."_ He made another leap towards the demon, swinging his sword once again. The demon laughed as he once again jumped out of the way, but this time he made sure to make contact on his target. Daisuke flew into a nearby tree and slumped down, his sword dropping feet away from him.

Eiji laughed.

" _And now, a bitter sweet death"_ Eiji walked over to the hunter, making sure to walk in-between the hunter and his blade, separating the two. He raised both his swords in the air and just as the demon was about to swing his final blow, Daisuke looked up at Eiji with a smile on his face. This made Eiji furious.

The demon swung. Or at least he tried too. His body would not respond to him and that's when he knew, he played right into the hunter's trap.

" _Damn you"_ Eiji hissed, showing his razor sharp teeth. Daisuke got up and brushed himself off.

" _Yeah yeah, sore loser. I get it."_ He walked over to the demon that was now under a trap that was set and held by his sword, Katsu. _"All you demons are the same. You get a few good hits and instantly claim yourselves winners."_ Eiji continued to try and fight off the spell, but Katsu stayed firm on it's hold.

It was a trick Daisuke had used many times before when speed became an issue. His sword was rather big and clunky, which meant what he gained in power he lost to in speed. Speed was something he had to learn how to overcome early on in his training. Eventually, he learned that in order to stop a fast demon from killing him he had to slow them down. Throughout his training, he and Katsu learned a method in which to paralyze the enemy and the only way to do that was to have the demon fall in-between him and his sword.

And for this demon, it was no different. He sensed that pride was a big thing and used that to his advantage. A few goods hits and the demon would soon lose his guard. Then, he would have to fake a hit so that his sword would be separated from him in order to use the trap. And here they were.

Daisuke walked up to Eiji and smiled. He placed his hand in the demon's robe pocket and pulled out the jewel. _"Ah, my prize for winning!"_ The anger flashed in the demon's eyes.

If only looks could kill.

He continued to hold the trap on Eiji as he made his way over to the human girl who was still lying unconscious on the ground. He bent down and took a better look at her. Wow. She was a cutie. Though still a human girl none the less.

He picked up the girl's body and slung her over his shoulder, and walked back to his sword. He placed his hand on Katsu's hilt and gave one last wink to the outraged Eiji before lifting the sword from the ground. The spell instantly evaporated releasing the demon from its grasp.

Eiji, without so much as a word, started running towards the hunter with his two swords ready to strike. But Daisuke was all but prepared for this too.

He raised Katsu in the air as the sword started to glow a bright red.

" _No!"_ cried Eiji, but it was too late.

Daisuke swung the sword destroying the barrier holding them captive in the forest.


	4. Chapter 4

**I thought nobody noticed me**

 **But it seems as if you do**

 **Though you are just a stranger**

 **As I am to you**

 **Yet you appear from nowhere to save me**

 **From my own destructive desires**

 **And like a moth lead to the flame**

 **I follow you into the fire**

 **~~ WaterLilly37 ~~**

 **~~ Kagome ~~**

She was floating. Floating in a world of darkness. Nothing but a sea of black for miles and miles, as far as the eyes could see. Floating in an abyss.

Where was she? How did she get here? She did not know.

Just then, she noticed something in the distance, a shadow of a figure. Curious, she started floating towards it.

As she got closer she could make out the figure to be a little boy, but not just an ordinary boy. He had short red hair that was tied in a blue bow and what looked to be a bushy tail. He had fox like feet and little claws on his hands. He was no bigger than a human baby. What she noticed most was how his big green eyes held so much sadness in them.

" _Who are you?"_ She asked the little boy, trying to find her voice. The little boy just continued to look at her with sad eyes as if he wanted to say something, but couldn't. She floated closer to him and reached out her hand, beckoning him to take it. The boy turned away from her.

" _Why?"_ He asked. She could hear the strain in his little voice as if trying to fight back the tears. She was confused.

" _I don't understand..."_ she replied, honestly. _"What do you mean by why?"_ Though familiar, she couldn't picture ever meeting this child or having said a word to him before now. And yet...

" _Do you not want to be friends with me anymore?"_ The little boy started to put his hands up to his face. She noticed that he started to cry as tears slowly trickled down the boy's cheeks and disappearing in the nothingness.

" _Friends? But isn't this the first time we are meeting?"_ For the sake of the boy's feelings, she tried really hard to remember something that would help her to identify this child as being anything more than a stranger to her. And just as she was about to probe for more information, the boy started to disappear.

" _Wait!"_ she cried. _"Don't go!"_ But it was too late. The boy had faded away to nothing.

" _Can you blame him?"_ came a voice from behind her. She turned around to come face to face with another person. He had short black hair tied in a small pony tail in the back. He held a staff and wore a blue robe. A string of beads were wrapped tightly around his right hand. Strangely, he seemed familiar to her too.

" _I'm sorry, what?"_ She had no idea what was going on. What were they talking about and why did they make it seem like they knew her. _"Please, I don't understand. Have I met you before?"_ The monk just shook his head in disappointment.

" _I trust that you made this decision with the best intentions. You were never one to just jump into something half-heartedly. So do what you must. Until then, I bid you farewell"_ And with that, the monk gave her one last sad look before, he too, faded away into the darkness.

" _Wait! Please stop!"_ she begged. _"What do you mean by come back soon? Come back where?"_ Nothing. He was already gone.

" _What now?"_ She whispered.

" _Good question"_ came another voice. She looked up to see a young woman this time. She had chestnut brown hair tied up in a pony tail and wore pink and black armor, a huge boomerang like object resting upon her back. There sat a huge white feline beside the young woman, staring up at her as well. When she made eye contact with the woman, she noticed that she didn't look too pleased with her. Does this woman know who she is as well?

" _I don't know why you are doing this and maybe I will never know. Just make sure you do whatever it is you have to do, and then come back. Ok? I trust you because you are my best friend. So don't leave me hanging for too long."_ There was that word again. Friend. But if they were best friends, why couldn't she remember anything about this woman? She couldn't even come up with a name!

" _Please, I don't know who you people are or what you are trying to tell me. You keep saying I am your friend but I can't recall any of you..."_ Before she could finish explaining herself, the young woman and her feline companion, like all the others, faded into the darkness.

She could feel tightness in her chest. Though her mind could not comprehend what these people were trying to say, it seemed like her heart all too well understood. She felt like crying, like running after these people and begging them to stay.

But why?

" _I'm glad"_ She quickly turned around to see another person standing only feet from her. She could practically reach out and touch him. _"It seems that you haven't forgotten us completely. At least not where it counts."_

There stood a young male with long flowing white hair wearing a red robe. His golden eyes were transfixed on her, never wavering. Her heart started to pound within her chest as she felt the most pain of all come over her.

" _I'm sorry..."_ She didn't know why but she felt as if she had to apologize to him. Apologize for whatever she had done or was doing to him, though she could recall none of it, nor him.

The hanyou just shook his head.

" _Keh, you don't need to apologize dummy"_ he said in an annoyed tone. _"It was your choice."_ He continued to stare at her and she felt the overwhelming need to run over to this person and embrace him. But she didn't know this person. So instead, she fought back the urge and continued to stare back into his golden eyes.

" _I just thought you would understand is all. I mean, you are usually the one who understands me the most"_ He signed. _"But I pushed you too far. I know this now."_ She could feel something within her start to stir, as if some part of her was trying to tell the hanyou in front of her something.

Slowly, she started to see him fade too.

 _No!_

" _Wait! Please!"_ She yelled at him. _"It's not your fault, it's not! Just come back! Please!"_ But the hanyou continued to fade until he too, was gone.

" _DON'T GO!"_ she screamed.

Just then, her eyes shot opened and she quickly sat up. At that exact moment, she heard someone else scream as well, along with the sound of things hitting the ground. She turned to her left to see a young male with short black hair wearing a white hakama and a blue haori over it, stare back at her wide eyed and shaken. Though, now his clothing was wet since he seemed to have dropped everything he was previously holding. A pot, ladle, and various other dishes littered the ground around them.

" _ARE YOU CRAZY WOMAN?! YOU NEARLY GAVE ME A HEART ATTACK!"_ The young male yelled, finally picking himself off the ground and looking down at his now stained clothing. _"Great, now I am covered in tonight's supper too."_

She could still feel her heart beating fast. Was it because of her dream? But then again, what did she dream about? No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't remember.

She removed the blanket that was covering her and looked around. They were outside in what looked to be the middle of a forest. It was dark outside and the young man had a fire lit only a few feet away from her. She was lying down on a bed roll that she assumed was given to her by this person.

But who was this person?

" _Excuse me,"_ she said to the young man as he continued to swear under his breath about how he could have died from such a scare. _"Who are you?"_

" _The name's Daisuke"_ He answered coolly. He began to walk over to a tree and from there, he grabbed a rag from his bag and began to wipe off the excess food covering his body. _"Do you wake up like that all the time? Cause man, if you do we're gonna have to figure out better sleeping arrangements. I'm thinking at least one hundred yards apart. Or a warning."_

" _Well to be honest, I don't know if I do or not"_ And she was being truthful. In fact, she couldn't remember what her sleeping habits were. Or if she even had any.

" _Well, let's hope this was a onetime thing."_ Daisuke threw the rag down and started grabbing some other items from his bag. _"So, what's your name?"_

" _My name is-"_ She stopped. What was her name? Surely she had a name, but why couldn't she remember it? Then again, the more she tried to rack her brain for the answer, the more she came to realize that she couldn't remember anything. _"-don't know"_ she finally finished.

" _Don't know is your name? I kind of find that hard to believe."_ The girl shot him a glare. Not one for jokes, huh? _"Ok ok, so you don't know your own name."_

It made no sense. Why couldn't she remember anything? Who was she? How did she get here? She could feel all the questions burning inside her and yet, she couldn't answer even the easiest ones. She clenched her head between her two hands as if trying to force the answers out.

" _Woah woah woah, hey now!"_ Daisuke walked over to the black haired woman who seemed to be struggling with something. _"Listen, if you can't honestly remember, that's fine. Maybe you struck your head or something? Just give it time. It may all come back to you by morning"_ The woman pulled her knees close to her and rested her head on them.

" _Why can't I remember anything?"_

Daisuke began to scratch his head. _"Maybe it had something to do with that demon fellow I found you with."_ This caused the woman to shoot up as she looked at Daisuke with an intense look.

" _Do you know more than you're letting on?"_ She barked. _"Tell me what you know!"_ Daisuke took a step or two back.

" _Hey, calm down. It's not like I know everything, ok? I found you wandering the forest with some demon stalking you. I just followed you both and ended up finding you unconscious. Of course, I had to save you from the demon first before I could bring you here."_ The biggest smirk came from this man, who seemed proud of his heroic deed. The young woman was, however, not impressed. She wanted information, not a knight in shining armor story.

" _Oh, is that all?"_ she sounded rather disappointed.

" _Hey now! That demon was no walk in the park! He was strong, ok!? Jeez, you'd think you'd be a little more appreciative."_ The girl just ignored him _._ She needed real information. Information that could help her get her memory back.

" _Oh, did I forget to mention that the demon seemed to have pulled this out of your head? Maybe this holds a clue as to why you can't remember."_ Just then, Daisuke pulled a jewel out of his pocket and stuck out his hand for the young woman to see.

It was a beautiful jewel. Different shades of purple and blue began swirling all around, almost as if it was the night sky itself. The young woman took the jewel from the man and began observing it closer. It didn't seem like anything special, but if the man spoke true than this was very important to her.

She looked up at Daisuke who continued to keep quiet to gauge her response. She signed. Then swung.

" _WHY DIDN'T YOU MENTION THE JEWEL THE FIRST TIME!"_ Daisuke held his head with both hands as his eyes began to water. She might look small, but she could throw a punch.

" _HEY! I COULD HAVE LET THAT DEMON HAVE HIS WAY WITH YOU, YOU KNOW? COULD SHOW SOME RESPECT TO THE ONE WHO SAVED YOUR HIDE!"_

The dark haired girl glared his way as she placed the jewel in her own pocket. There was no way she was giving something as important as this back to him. Besides, he withheld a bit of information from her. God knows what else he might know.

" _Are you sure you don't know anything else?"_ She threatened. Daisuke waved his hands in front of himself with a small smile on his face.

" _I know nothing more, I promise."_ He then dug his hand into another smaller bag he had placed a few feet from the fire. He proceeded to grab some fruit and then turned to face her again. _"Here, catch!"_ He threw an apple. She caught it in her hands.

" _Thanks"_ She replied. She hadn't realized how hungry she had gotten.

" _Yeah well, I would have had stew tonight but SOMEBODY decided that wasn't going to happen."_ He bit into the apple letting the juice slide down the corners of his mouth.

The girl continued to stare at the fire. She watched the flames dance as the wood crackled and burned. The apple rested in her hands. Maybe she wasn't that hungry after all.

" _Hey"_

" _Hmm"_

" _Do I...well...do we know each other? I mean, before you rescued me and all."_

Daisuke stopped eating and turned to look at her. She had a sad look in her eyes that made Daisuke feel bad for her. Almost.

" _No. We don't know each other."_ The girl nodded and then turned her attention back to the fire.

" _Well then, why did you save me? Were you expecting some kind of reward?"_

Daisuke laughed. _"Nah, nothing like that. Besides, there's nothing you have that I want anyway."_

" _So why?"_ She asked.

" _Well, why not?"_

She smiled at this. Well, she might not remember anything about herself but at least she knew there was one person who cared for her well-being, even if he was a stranger. And who knows, there might be others out there too, searching for her who could help her find out who she is.

" _Thanks Daisuke."_


	5. Chapter 5

**I am trying to remember**

 **I am trying to understand**

 **Anything about me**

 **That can tell me who I am**

 **But until I reach that moment**

 **I know I will be okay**

 **I will surely find myself**

 **I will surely find my way**

~~WaterLilly37~~

 **~~ Inuyasha ~~**

" _DAMN IT!"_ The hanyou yelled from the top of his lungs, as he threw a fist and made contact with another helpless tree. The tree fell down with a thud with the hanyou still unsatisfied.

He had managed to find help for Kikyo within the village. Kaede looked at her sister's wounds and said they were deep, but could be healed within a few days thanks to her not having a human body. The group let out a sign of relief. That's when he noticed.

" _Hey, where's Kagome?"_ The group turned around and expected to see her wave her arms with a smile saying "right here!" But instead, they were met with silence.

Inuyasha's heart started to race when he noticed that he couldn't pick up Kagome's scent in the hut. With a worried look, that went unnoticed by his companions, he pushed through them and walked outside.

He couldn't pick up her scent out here either. He started to run off, jumping from rooftop to rooftop, using his keen eyes to search for the lost miko, and his nose to try and sniff her out. It was no use. She was not in the village.

Did that mean that Kagome was still out in the forest where that she-demon prowled? His heart dropped. Was she in any kind of trouble?

" _Inuyasha!"_ The hanyou turned his attention to find the monk standing below the rooftop he was on top of. Inuyasha jumped down. _"Did you pick up Kagome's scent?"_ The hanyou shook his head furiously, his hands balled up in fists.

" _No"_ was all that he replied with before he started walking towards Kaede's hut.

Miroku followed Inuyasha. _"I was afraid of that."_

Just then Sango, who was flying with her feline friend, came swooping down to meet the boys on ground. _"Kilala can't pick up her scent either. And I don't remember seeing her since we stumbled upon you both in the forest."_

" _That's because she didn't leave the forest"_ Inuyasha said, matter-of-factly. He felt the guilt bear down on him for he knew this was his fault. Not only did he end up hurting Kikyo, but he hurt Kagome as well. Even worse, he hadn't noticed he had hurt her until it was too late.

He had to make it up to her. He had to apologize to her. But first, _"I got to find her!"_ he declared to his friends, as the hanyou started to run towards the forest.

 **~~ X ~~**

And here he was, standing only feet away from the tree he had punched down. This made the third one.

The first one being when he went all the way to the Bone Eater's Well, figuring that the young miko got upset with his latest performance and returned to her era. But he knew this wasn't the case within moments of his arrival. He couldn't pick up her scent. He did a quick scan for safety measures, but knew that Kagome had been nowhere near here. One tree down.

Inuyasha then backtracked all the way to the clearing where Kagome found him and Kikyo facing the demon. He scrunched up his nose when he arrived. The smell of Kikyo's blood still lingered here, which made the guilt intensify. But even so, he was here for another reason. He put what he had done in the back of his mind and started to search for Kagome's scent. After what seemed like an entirety, he had to give up. Kagome's and Kikyo's scent, though different, had a lot of similarities and with Kikyo's blood all over the place; her scent became overbearing making it hard for Inuyasha to separate the two. Tree number two fell to the ground with a thud.

The hanyou, feeling more determined than ever, decided to try running blindly into the forest to look for anything that might lead him to Kagome's whereabouts. He knew this was probably his worst idea yet, but what other choice did he have? After an hour or two of this, he managed to catch her scent. His heart raced as a small amount of relief came flooding over him. _Found her!_ Or so he thought. He followed his nose, all the while hoping Kagome wasn't in any kind of danger.

Just as he could smell her scent getting stronger, it disappeared. Inuyasha stopped dead in his tracks. What!? He backtracked to the last place he had smelt her and tried to determine which direction she had gone. But he couldn't. It was like she was here one second, and then gone the next, just disappearing into thin air. Inuyasha could feel the frustration within him start to resurface.

 _NO DAMN IT!_

He was so close! He started to scan the area once again. He wasn't going to give up. As he checked the area out for Kagome's scent, he came across a disturbing realization.

Kagome wasn't alone.

He could pick up two different scents. One was human, the other demon. This made his blood crawl. Could it be the demon he had run into earlier? No. Though this one had a similar smell to it, it was definitely different. And who was the human? Was he working with the demon? Did they kidnap Kagome? And just like Kagome's, their scent too disappeared without a trace, as if they just up and vanished from the world.

And you guessed it; tree number three fell to the ground with a thud shortly after. He couldn't pick up their scents beyond that one spot, and had nothing else to go on. But at least he had two suspects.

After Inuyasha let his anger out, he knew there was nothing left for him to do here. The more time he spent wasting here, the more time he wasted in finding Kagome alive. Besides, the sun was starting to set and he knew that there would be demons coming out to hunt that he had no time to fool around with. So he decided to head back to the village and let the others know what he found out.

 **~~ Daisuke ~~**

The black haired demon hunter sat along the river's edge, cleaning the dishes from breakfast that he shared with his new and hot headed companion. From the moment she opened up her eyes and began talking to him, he paid close attention to her. He was interested in her, interested in finding out exactly her role in this whole demon/jewel ordeal. But from what he could gather, she didn't know anything.

" _Her memories were wiped clean"_ He thought to himself. _"Which explains the jewel."_ He wanted to keep this piece of information to himself, or at least for now. The young woman seemed to be struggling for the memories she no longer had, and figured that she might do something rash with the jewel if she were to know that her memories were locked inside. Until he could find out more information, he thought it would be best to have the young woman try for herself to regain her memories. Who knows, just having the jewel in her presence might spark something.

He continued to scrub, up and down, up and down. Man, chores were boring.

 _"Hey,"_ The young raven haired woman said, causing Daisuke to jump just a little. This made the woman laugh.

" _Didn't I tell you to warn me when you're coming!?"_ He replied, though he was happy that her mood had changed for the better.

" _For a demon hunter, you sure are jumpy. You'd think you would be able to hear me coming from miles away."_

" _Do you doubt my ability as a hunter?"_ Daisuke teased, tossing one of the bowls he had cleaned to her. She caught it with ease.

" _I'm just saying, shouldn't a hunter always be aware of what's going on around him? Never turning his back on anyone or anything?"_

Daisuke snorted. _"And what are you? Some sort of expert on the subject?"_

The woman shrugged her shoulders. _"I don't know. I don't remember anything, but that doesn't mean that I'm not."_ She grabbed the other few dishes that Daisuke had cleaned and gave him a teasing smile. _"I might even be a better hunter than you."_

" _As if"_ he answered.

Both slowly made their way back to camp, dishes all cleaned and ready to be packed away again.

" _So where are we headed?"_ asked the woman. It took the hunter off guard for a bit.

 _We._

Daisuke didn't know what he had expected from their meeting, but it certainly wasn't travelling together for a long period of time. In his line of work, it was either kill or be killed. He couldn't afford to take on a responsibility that could ultimately be his demise.

" _WE_ _are going to a nearby village, not far from here where_ _I_ _will drop you off and be on my merry way"_ He noticed the woman's smile quickly fade and be replaced with a look of horror.

" _What do you mean? Are you planning on ditching me in some village and running away?"_ She sounded angry. But that wasn't Daisuke's concern.

" _You make it sound so much worse."_ He replied, grabbing his bag and throwing it over his shoulder. He then proceeded to grab Katsu and strap it on his back. _"I prefer to call it going our separate ways."_

" _You can call it whatever you want, it means the same thing. You are leaving me."_ Daisuke could hear the anger in her voice, but at the same time, hurt.

" _Listen, I don't know you and you don't know me. I never, and I mean never, travelled with anyone and I'm not about to start now. I'll walk you safely to the village and -"_

" _And what!?"_ the woman blurted out. _"I don't know have a single memory to tell me who I am or what I am suppose to do! The only thing I know is what happened the past 24 hours which isn't much. The best lead I have to finding out any of this information is YOU!"_

" _And I told you everything I know! I'm not lying, as much as you probably wish I was."_ He stopped and watched as the young woman's eyes met the ground, not once making eye contact with him. _"Listen, I get it. This is frustrating and I would love to help, but my line of work doesn't allow for companions. I'm a demon hunter. I hunt demons! And some of them are strong and would love the chance to make you a meal. If I were to take you with me, I would constantly have to be on guard for my life as well as yours. I hate it say it, but you'd be a liability if I had you tag along."_

Finally, the girl's eyes met with his. Instead of the tears and anger he expected to see, Daisuke saw determination and fire.

" _I won't be a liability"_ she declared. Daisuke shrugged.

" _And how am I suppose to believe that? Just because your memory is gone, doesn't mean you can fill in the empty blanks with things that seem fitting at the time."_

" _Because I believe that I can do this"_ was her reply. Daisuke still didn't buy it, nor would he.

" _It's still the same, I'm not taking you with me."_ He started to walk towards the bags of camping supplies. Normally, he would take both with him during his travels, but the woman had grabbed one of the bags as if determined to prove to him that she would be useful. Fine. He wasn't about to start a fight over carrying a bag.

They started walking towards the village.

" _Hey,"_ she started. At this point in time, you'd think the hunter would learn to just stay quiet.

" _What?"_ he groaned.

" _Let me prove it to you."_ Daisuke turned to face the woman, annoyed that she still hadn't drop the whole _"I'm tagging along!"_ gig.

" _Prove it to me how?"_

" _Let me hunt a demon."_

He stopped and signed. _"Are you crazy or just plain stupid? How do you expect to kill a demon? Just go up to one swinging a weapon and poof! It falls down dead? If it were that easy, I would be out a job."_

" _I know what I am doing."_

" _Oh really? Well, I can't wait to see this."_

 **~~ Kagome ~~**

They hadn't reached the village until later that day. The whole time leading up to their arrival of the village, Kagome was trying to figure out a way on how she was going to kill a demon in order to stay by Daisuke's side. He was her only link to finding out who she really was, whether he believed that or not.

" _Well, here we are grand master demon hunter"_ he teased. She knew he was getting some enjoyment out of it, even if the idea of her tagging along annoyed him more than anything.

" _I can't wait to wipe that smug smile off your face"_ was her only response. She had no time to continue playing around with this man. She needed to find some equipment to help her slay a demon. And maybe some advice or two from fellow villagers.

" _Well, let me know when you want to go demon slaying. I'll be stocking up on supplies."_ Daisuke gave her a small wave before taking his leave. Kagome took a quick scan of the village. It was small, but it seemed busy and the people seemed happy.

Kagome asked a nearby villager for directions to the nearest shop that sold weapons. The villager kindly pointed to the blacksmith's house up upon the top of a hill. Kagome kindly thanked the man and made her way there.

When she arrived, she noticed two men working by a fire pit and making what looked to be a very fine shield.

One of the men noticed her and walked over.

" _Good morning,"_ the kind village man greeted. _"Can I help you?"_ Kagome smiled politely.

" _Yes please. I am looking for a weapon that will be strong enough to kill a demon."_ The man chuckled and led her to the back.

" _We don't have very many women asking to wield a weapon so as to kill a demon. They tend to leave that to their husbands."_

" _I don't have a husband"_ she replied, or at least she thought she didn't.

" _Well, what are you looking for?"_ Kagome didn't know. Sure, there were probably all kinds of weapons to choose from, but what would be right for her? She looked over at the wall of weapons hanging from hooks in the little hut the man led her to.

On the wall hung swords, axes, daggers, boomerangs, staffs, bows, and so much more. Kagome didn't realize the choice would be so hard. After pondering for a minute, she pointed to a small sword on the wall.

" _Let's start with that sword."_

After she had dressed in some simple armor the blacksmith had lent her, Kagome took the sword off the wall and stood a few feet from a makeshift dummy. She took a deep breath and ran towards it. She swung the sword and hit the target. The target swayed a little bit, but besides that, it was as if she barely struck the thing.

" _I'm shivering in my boats already"_ came an all too familiar voice. Kagome exhaled the breath she was holding and turned to face Daisuke.

" _Very funny"_ she said. But he was right, a demon could easily stop her advance and even if she did manage to strike it, she probably wouldn't even be able to scratch the thing.

" _I want to try the staff next!"_

But she wasn't giving up.

 **~~ X ~~**

Kagome threw down the bow from her hand as it landed with a small thud on the ground. She had tried absolutely everything, but she failed at almost all of them. The only thing she could manage to use any bit properly was the small daggers or the bow and arrow. The daggers were small and she could tuck them in her clothes, unseen by the demon and maybe use a sneak attack on it hoping to hit a vital area. The bow and arrow was another weapon she could just barely use. When trying it, she managed to hit the target but was way off from the bull's eye and this was when the target was still.

She signed.

Daisuke walked over to her and sat down. _"Not so easy huh?"_ She didn't bother to look his way. She wasn't in the mood to hear him brag at how he was right and how she wouldn't be able to protect herself from a demon, never mind killing it.

" _Listen, I am only doing this because I just don't want any more blood on my hands, ok?"_ Kagome looked over at the dark haired hunter and watch his face go from his usual playful smile to that of pain and regret. Even in a short amount of time spent together, she knew this was an odd look on him.

" _So your past is painful?"_ Here she was complaining that she couldn't remember her past, and yet here she was, travelling with someone who did remember and who probably wished he could forget. It made her wonder if she really wanted her memories back.

" _Yeah, I guess it is. This is why I want a better future. And that means I can't risk taking you with me."_

Kagome signed. She knew the risks, but still; she could feel it in her heart that this was the route she was suppose to take. But how would she convey these feelings to him?

" _Hey,"_

This made Daisuke chuckle to himself. _"You'd think I would catch on to your little 'heys'. They never end well"_ Kagome gave him a playful nudge. _"Ok, what now?"_

" _Let me go with you. I know you don't want me to and I know I will probably be a liability to you. But just let me tag along for a little while longer and I promise that if I get in the way, I will leave. No questions asked. It's just…well, I need you."_ The young girl paused and looked at Daisuke as he gave her a puzzling look. _"I can't explain it but I feel as if you hold a very important piece to getting my memory back. And if I let you go now, well, I don't know if I will ever find myself again."_

Daisuke stood up and let out a sign. She figured he was going to deny her once again, but she had to at least try.

" _Fine. But when I say you have to leave, you leave. Got it? I'm not going to be the one with your blood on my conscience."_ Kagome stood up and gave the hunter a big smile.

" _Promise!"_

The two started walking back down the hill and headed deeper into the village.

" _Do you say that to every male in order to get your way?"_ Daisuke joked, looking at the confused raven haired girl. _"Please let me go with you! I need you!"_ He mimicked, his voice all high pitched and his hands placed in front of him as he pretended to beg.

Kagome swung her hand and made contact with the face of the demon hunter. He fell flat on his back as his body began to twitch.

" _UGH! What was I thinking wanting to go with you, jerk!"_ She snapped as she stomped away.

Daisuke gave a small laugh as he rubbed the red mark where her hand made contact with his face.

Yeah, she'll be just fine.


	6. Chapter 6

**I can't see clear, my thoughts are clouded**

 **I'm up in the air when I want to be grounded**

 **For my mind desires you, but my heart demands some other**

 **I want to make you mine, yet I want to love another**

 **You who have saved me, the one my mind holds dear**

 **Versus someone I can't remember, his picture so unclear**

 **I can't sort out my feelings, my clarity still unfounded**

 **I'm high up in the air, when I just want to be grounded**

 **~~ WaterLilly37 ~~**

 **~~ Daisuke ~~**

He stood outside one of many huts, patiently waiting. His back leaned up against the wooden frame; he pondered on how exactly that raven haired woman managed to sneak her way into his little stand alone party. It wasn't like him to accept offers to join him, and he had been presented with a number of them, but she was different. He couldn't explain it. Much like she couldn't explain to him why it was she had to go with him. They were linked somehow, and it felt like to throw her to the side now would just mean doom for them both.

" _Ready!"_ came a voice from the hunter's left. He turned and gave her a small approving nod. The young woman had changed her garments on the request of the hunter himself.

~~ X ~~

 _As they were walking, Daisuke started to size up the young woman's clothing. Without being as discreet as he should have been, he walked over and starting tugging on her shirt. The young woman gave him a puzzling look as he continued to tug here and there. Eventually he started tugging on the bottom of her...dress? This was definitely the shortest dress he had ever laid eyes on. Without thinking about what exactly he was doing, the young woman screamed and hit him on the head with her small fist. Daisuke grabbed his head as water filled his eyes._

" _Ouch! What the heck was that for?!" He bellowed. The woman's face was bright red and she held down her skirt with both hands._

" _PERFERT!" She cried. Daisuke blinked at the woman a few times._

 _Wait now._

" _I WASN'T LOOKING AT YOU! SO DON'T FLATTER YOURSELF!" He yelled back in response._

 ** _SMACK._**

" _Ughh, you ungrateful leech!" The woman stomped off towards the direction they were previously heading. Daisuke stood up slowly as he tried to feel for his face. Surely she smacked it clean off with that last hit._

 _Eventually, he caught up to her. "I'm sorry! Ok? But I wasn't looking at you, I was looking at your...well...choice of clothing." The woman stopped and gave the man a threatening glare. "Woah woah woah spitfire, before you hit me, I'm not insulting your choice of clothing, I am simply thinking that maybe we should look for something with a little more protection. That's all."_

 _The woman looked down at herself and Daisuke could see from her facial expressions that she had come to the same conclusion as he had._

" _You're right. I should probably change."_

" _Great, glad we could settle that! Though, I do wish it came with a little less violence from your end Miss Quick-on-the-Draw."_

~~ X ~~

The woman changed from her useless arrangement of cloth (though he would never tell her that) and exchanged them for a traditional miko garb. The bottom portion was a deep green color, much like the color of her short dress she was previously wearing, and the top part of the garments were a snowy white. Daisuke also noticed that the woman's hair was tied up in a ponytail with a small piece of white ribbon to keep her hair from getting in the way.

She was breathtaking. He didn't know why, but the garb really suited her, as if this wasn't her first time wearing such clothing. Again, she would never know his thoughts.

" _Great!"_ He said a little too quick as he turned his attention away from her. He definitely didn't need her to see how flustered these new changes made him feel. _"Shall we get going?"_

" _Wait! Just one more thing!"_ The woman ran over to the left side of the hut and grabbed a bow and a quiver, placing them on her back. Then, she took the small dagger that was lying down on the ground and put it in somewhere within her garb, making sure it was securely in place. _"Done! Now we can go."_

 _"Are you sure you know how to use those? Wouldn't it be safer for you and everyone else if you left the fighting to me?"_ Daisuke teased.

The woman just shrugged her shoulders. _"I said I wouldn't be a burden to you, and I mean it. I won't use these if I don't have to. But if there comes a time that I do, at least I am prepared."_ Well, he couldn't argue with that. _"Besides, these were the only weapons I can use properly."_

Daisuke witnessed the young woman's ability with both items and, well, he wouldn't exactly say she could _use_ them properly. _"Well, let's pray we don't have you using those any time soon then."_

The pair decided to travel north from the village and head towards an area deeper in the forest. Daisuke had heard that there was a large shrine in the neighboring village from one of the locals and decided to take the young woman there. If they were lucky, they would find out more information about the mysterious girl. Maybe a miko could use her powers to help put the young girl's memories back from the jewel.

" _By the way,"_ Daisuke broke the silence that had eaten up much of their walk together. _"What am I suppose to call you?"_ The girl looked at him, pondering his question.

" _Well, what have you been secretly calling me?"_ She replied, looking at the hunter curiously.

Spitfire. Hot-headed female. Violent one. But surely, he wasn't going to tell her that.

 _"Well, nothing special. Just girl really."_

" _Girl?"_ The young woman looked skeptically at him.

" _What?"_

" _All this time we've been together, you've just referred to me as girl?"_

" _Well, what the heck was I suppose to call you?"_

" _I don't know. Something!"_

" _Well I'm sorry. I didn't know I had to start giving my problems a proper name."_

" _Very funny."_ The young woman continued to walk along side Daisuke, hard in thought. She crossed her arms in front of her and closed her eyes, slowly walking beside the hunter. Daisuke watched the young woman; curious himself of what she was going to come up with. However, he soon found himself growing more curious with the woman than her actual response. The more he took notice of her, the more attractive she became to him. Her slim body, small hands, silk black hair, soft lips, and...

Stop.

Daisuke turned his gaze from her and continued to walk straight ahead. What the hell was he even doing!? He barely knew this woman. They've been together for only a day, he could not, _WOULD NOT,_ think of her in this way.

" _Kaori"_ Her soft innocent voice brought the hunter back to his senses, though he still refused to look at the woman.

 **A/N:** ** _Until Kagome remembers her real name, I will substitute it for Kaori. Depending on how long it takes to me write her memory back in, she'll be known with this name. Sorry for any mix up!_**

" _So why Kaori?"_

" _It means strong. I'd like to think of myself as a strong individual who will make it out of this situation."_

" _Strong? I've seen stronger gusts of wind."_

" _Oh really?"_ The woman challenged. Daisuke took two steps to his left trying to put some more distance between himself and the fist of the woman. _"For someone who has the nerve to tell me I'm weak, he is certainly putting some distance between us."_

" _I'm a man. I don't hit a woman. So lucky for you, I can't fight back."_ Daisuke pointed out.

" _Oh, is that so. So what happens when you come face to face with a female demon?"_ Kaori, as she was now referring herself as, argued.

" _Easy, they are demons. If they pose any kind of threat, I will kill them. Male or female. I just don't hurt female humans."_

" _Well isn't that a shame."_ _came a voice from the trees that neither Daisuke nor Kaori recognized._

Both the hunter and the raven haired girl stopped dead in their tracks. Daisuke quickly unsheathed Katsu and firmly held it in front of him. Kaori stood behind Daisuke for protection, which Daisuke was glad for. The closer she was, the easier it would be to protect her.

" _And here I was thinking how cute you would look with my arm wrapped around you!"_ came the voice again.

Female.

Daisuke began scanning the area with Katsu, hoping to catch whether or not they were facing a demon or a human.

" _Uh huh"_ replied the hunter. _"Too bad for you, I have standards."_ Katsu started to hum softly as it picked up on her whereabouts. However, it still couldn't pinpoint exactly where she was. But at least he knew one thing for certain. She was a demon.

" _Oh how rude."_ the demon girl teased. _"You, poor boy, don't even know what you're missing out on!"_

" _I disagree."_ Daisuke focused all of his energy into sensing where she was located, playing along with the demon's game. _Keep talking_ he could hear himself say, knowing that he had to get the first strike and keep Kaori safe. The faster he could end this battle, the better they would be.

" _Oh well,"_ he heard the demon respond. _"I wasn't that into humans anyways."_ Just then, Daisuke felt the presence of the demon as she leaped towards them with a small sword in hand. Daisuke quickly reacted, pushing Kaori to the right, and holding Katsu in front of him. The two swords made contact.

" _Ah, so brother was right. You are fast."_ giggled the demon. Daisuke finally got a glimpse of the demon, though within seconds she was gone again. _"But not fast enough!"_

 _"So that poor sport was your brother, huh?"_ He smiled. He should have figured that the demon, Eiji, wouldn't forget about their little encounter. What he wasn't expecting was there to be another one of them.

The female demon, who had landed on the ground only feet from Daisuke, was playfully swinging her sword from left to right. Her teal blues eyes were dancing with excitement. _"Ah yes, Eiji does seem to get hot headed when he doesn't have his way. Like I've told him before, he shouldn't play with his food."_ Yuko grinned, showing off her sharp razor teeth. Daisuke did not want to be on the receiving end of that bite.

He held Katsu in front of him. If she was anything like her brother, Daisuke knew this wasn't going to be an easy fight like he had originally wanted. Besides, Eiji had probably already warned her about his paralyzing trick. He had his doubts that that would work on her.

" _So Eiji didn't like losing and so he sent his little sister to come after me for revenge? I'm flattered."_

" _As if,"_ Yuko gleamed. _"And for your information, I am the older twin."_ Yuko made another leap towards Daisuke with the hunter just managing to roll out of her way. Dust gathered where the demon had made contact with the ground instead of his body. Before Daisuke could register on what to do next, Yuko made another attempt at attacking him. Daisuke had no time to move, but used Katsu again as a shield between her sword and his body, that pushed him another ten feet from where he previous stood. She was fast and strong.

Another leap attack, another dodge.

" _You're much faster than your brother, I will give you that"_ the hunter complimented, _"but you'll need more than speed to defeat me!"_ Daisuke swung his sword releasing a white blast of energy at the demon. Yuko jumped out of the way, avoiding the blast with ease.

" _Who says I was here to defeat you?"_ As the words came from the demon's mouth, Daisuke realized the mistake he had made. Yuko was only toying with him, attacking him and pushing him further away from where Kaori was standing.

The young demon turned her attention on the girl. _"What a lame brother I have, letting you escape from us."_ She leaped in front of Kaori and grabbed her by the shoulder. The young woman began to fight her opponent, but to no prevail. _"Stop fighting, you're wasting time."_

The hunter then made a run towards her as Katsu started to glow a faint white color, all ready to strike. Yuko, anticipating the human hunter's response, yanked the girl close to her body and held the sword to the woman's neck.

" _Come any closer hunter and I'll make a nice ornament out of her head."_ Kaori struggled to free herself from the demon's grasp. Daisuke watched the sight before him, feeling useless as the glow from Katsu faded.

" _Now that's better,"_ Yuko gleamed. _"Now to finish what we started-"_

Just then, Daisuke saw the young woman sneak her hand into the breast pocket of her miko garb and swing a tiny dagger at the demon's face. Unfortunately, Yuko was too fast and pushed Kaori out of the way before the dagger made contact. _"Why you little –"_ she spat.

Before she had another chance to make a grab for Kaori, Daisuke swung his sword at Yuko sending another energy blast her way. This made the demon girl jump back a few feet and away from her target.

Kaori, who was lying on the ground only feet from Daisuke's blast, stood back up and made her way to the left side of the hunter.

" _That was close"_ she replied. Daisuke didn't bother to answer, but kept his eyes on the demon.

" _Hymph,"_ she snarled. _"Didn't realize the girl had some fight in her. But play time is over. Now hand me what I came here for!"_

Daisuke noticed Kaori place her hand on the outside of the miko garb she wore.

The jewel.

" _So the sore loser wants his prize back? Well too bad. Tell him I won that little jewel fair and square."_ Daisuke patted his pants pocket, hoping that the demon would think that he was in possession of the jewel. Anything to keep her from attacking Kaori again.

Yuko began to laugh as she slowly started to walk towards the two humans, standing side by side. _"Keep the jewel, you filthy human."_ Yuko stopped about twenty feet from where the two stood, pointing her finger at Kaori. _"It's the girl we want!"_

Daisuke was surprised with this answer. It didn't make sense. Why would they want a young girl with no memory? _"I don't get it. What's so important about her?"_ Kaori grabbed the sleeve of Daisuke's armor. He could tell she was nervous about this new piece of information, especially since she was unable to protect herself. It meant that he would have to be the one to do it for her.

" _Oh, you really don't know?"_ The demon smiled, showing off her razor sharp teeth once again. _"I guess it couldn't hurt to tell you since you'll be dead momentarily."_ Daisuke raised his sword with one hand in a defensive stance, as he used his other hand to push Kaori behind him. He was going to keep her close this time around.

" _Does the name Naraku ring a bell?"_

Daisuke glared at the demon. Everyone knew who Naraku was. He was one, if not already, the strongest force to be reckoned with in this world. For only a hanyou, he had made his power well known to all who opposed him. Daisuke had never crossed paths with the hanyou, but he was always thankful for that.

The look on Daisuke's face made it all to clear to Yuko that she knew of him. Kaori looked confused.

 _"Ah, so you have. It comes to no surprise. Well it turns out that that girl over there is very important to him. In fact, he demands she be handed to him by the end of the night."_

" _I didn't know Naraku had a liking to young maidens."_ Daisuke pressed on, trying to get more information from Yuko. It seemed to have worked, for now.

" _Well, not ordinary young maidens..."_ Yuko let the rest of the sentence fall flat as she replaced her sword with her white flute. _"But enough chitchat, it's time to get serious now. I was hoping I wouldn't have to resort to this…"_

Daisuke had never seen a demon use a musical instrument as a weapon before. Though, he was certain that having her play it would mean trouble. He wasn't going to give her that chance. He swung his sword again. Another blast of energy made its way to Yuko, but she jumped in the air and landed on a nearby branch of a tree. She put the flute to her lips. A soft melody began playing as Daisuke tensed right up. He had no idea what he was about to face.

Kaori leaned into Daisuke, she too fearing the worse. The music continued to play as Daisuke and Kaori continued to listen, standing guard. Within seconds, the music stopped and Yuko glanced down at the two, smiling.

" _What just happened?"_ Kaori asked, looking around but not seeing anything. Daisuke shook his head.

" _I don't know, but enough is enough."_ He took a step away from Kaori and held Katsu up in the air. _"Wonderful performance, too bad we can't stay for the encore!"_ And he swung.

But nothing happened.

What?!

Daisuke tried again to send a blast of energy towards the demon girl, but again, nothing happened. Yuko, from up on her tree branch, laughed.

" _What's wrong big boy? All out of juice?"_

This had never happened to him before. Could she have cut all communication from him and Katsu? Daisuke closed his eyes and tried to concentrate. _"Come on, Katsu. Respond to me already!"_ Kaori looked at Daisuke as if silently encouraging his efforts to get his sword working for him again.

" _Ok, show time is over! Katsu, show this filthy hunter who your new master is!"_ Just as the demon finished speaking the words, Katsu started to glow a dark red color and vibrate wildly in Daisuke's hand. Daisuke couldn't believe what was happening. What had she done to his sword?!

" _Damn it Katsu! What are you doing?"_ The sword continued to fight its master until Daisuke couldn't contain it anymore. The sword flew from his hands and hovered a few feet from him, the red glow had completely absorbed the blade.

" _Daisuke, her music!"_ Kaori acknowledged.

That's right. Yuko's music flute must have taken control over his sword which meant he had no way to fight her.

" _Damn it all to hell!"_ Daisuke shouted. Yuko started to laugh with a sickening malice to it that sent shivers down Daisuke's spine.

" _Now where's all the big talk? Or are you nothing without that sword of yours?"_ Katsu started to fly towards Daisuke as it made a swinging motion. A dark black streak of energy came from the sword as the hunter only managed to get out of its way. A large scar was left in the ground where the sword had made its mark.

" _Just my luck, you can control objects with some stupid little song!"_

" _Objects? Boy, my music can do much more than that. As long as it has the right ingredient_ _"_ The demon girl replied as she glided slowly to the ground. Daisuke was confused. Ingredient?

Yet he didn't have time to think on it for Katsu made another swing towards his direction, this time no blast but all blade. The wind from the strike alone was enough to take Daisuke off his feet.

 **~~ Kagome/Kaori ~~**

Kaori watched in horror as the hunter slowly got up and gritted his teeth. She knew all too well that they were in big trouble. But what was worse was that she didn't have the power to do anything about it!

She cursed her inability to use a weapon as she stood only feet from the battle, watching it all take place before her.

The hunter dodged another attack.

Kaori closed her eyes and balled her hands into fists. What could she do?! Daisuke had been kind enough to rescue her from this demon's twin brother, and was even trying to protect her now. Yet when he was struggling, she could find no way to repay the debt.

Why was she so useless!?

 _Ba-dum._

Kaori stopped for a second, as her eyes flickered open. Ignoring the battle that was still going on, she continued to concentrate. What was that?

 _Ba-dum._

She turned her attention to Katsu, the sword that belonged to Daisuke. That was weird. It felt like the weapon had a -

 _Ba-dum._

Wait. It did!

And though it was under the control of the demon girl, it was trying it's best to fight. But wait, didn't that mean Daisuke's sword was alive? Not just a mere weapon?

Kaori let this new information process. Yes, the sword was definitely alive and how she could sense its power, she didn't know. But she did know that this may help them out of the situation they were in. But how? She felt that the sword was fighting back, that was a plus. So, it was as if the body of the sword was being controlled, yet not it's mind.

Did it even have a mind?

Kaori shook her head. No time to ponder on that. She continued to think. She knew that Daisuke had Katsu for a long time and that it had a lot of unique powers, which to her meant that the sword itself must be demonic.

So, with all of this information, what did it mean?

" _Just my luck, you can control objects with some stupid little song!"_

" _Objects? Boy, my music can do much more than that. As long as it has the right ingredient_ _"_

That's it!

This demon can control other demons with her song! That's why she nor Daisuke had fallen under the song's control. Yet Katsu did because it was a demon sword! The ingredient was something related to demons! As to the specifics, she was still unsure but at least she figured out at least this much.

Now how was she going to break the spell? Just as she went to start figuring that out, Daisuke jumped her and both landed on the ground, hard.

Kaori's air was knocked out of her as she tried to catch her breath. Daisuke looked down on her with an intense expression on his face. She knew that Daisuke had just saved her from one of Katsu's attacks.

" _We got to get out of here, now!"_ He ordered. He grabbed Kaori's hand and forced her back up. He then started to drag her behind him, running deeper into the forest brush.

" _Wait, Daisuke! I think I figured something – "_

" _Do you want to die? Keep running!"_ Kaori knew that he was just trying to protect her but she needed him to listen! She was sure she figured a very vital piece of information that could help them defeat Yuko. Maybe if Daisuke could try reconnecting with Katsu again...

Just then another blast came from within the forest, sending both Kaori and Daisuke flying in opposite directions.

Kaori felt a pain in her ankle as she slowly absorbed what just happened. Another deep slash was made in the dirt between them, with Katsu floating from the tip of it. Kaori tried to stand back up, but the pain in her ankle shot all the way up and caused her to fall back on the ground.

Great.

Daisuke seemed to have taken notice of this as he gritted his teeth and shook his head. Kaori gave him an apologetic look. That's when Daisuke signed and stood on his own two feet. He then proceeded to wave his hands in front of him. Kaori's heart dropped.

He wasn't!

Sure enough, Daisuke was drawing the attention of the sword to him so that way, Kaori could try and escape while he bought her time.

" _Stupid! You're only going to get yourself killed!"_ She screamed to herself.

Katsu started to glow the deep red once again as Yuko appeared behind it, gloating over her excellent show. _"Here marks the end of you, hunter!"_

 **~~ Daisuke ~~**

The sword pointed up towards the sky as Daisuke braced for the final hit.

Just then, a bright pink light filled his vision as he watched a streak of light strike Katsu and cut across the shoulder of the demon girl. The sword instantly fell to the ground with a thud as Yuko grabbed her shoulder and started shrieking in pain.

" _Damn you Priestess!"_ She cursed.

Daisuke turned his attention back to where the streak of pink light had emerged. There stood Kaori, leaning on a tree with a bow in her hand. He saw her smile as she slumped back down to the ground.

 _She's a priestess with purifying powers!?_

Daisuke snapped his focus back to Yuko, who was still writhing in pain. Daisuke took this chance to grab his sword back up and hold it out in front of him. A dark liquid started to fall from the demon's shoulder and hit the ground in big splatters.

Kaori got her good.

Daisuke took a deep breath. _"Katsu, you with me buddy?"_ Just then, the sword started to glow a faint white light as the hunter could feel the sword slowly reconnect with him.

" _Alright, back in action!"_ He turned to face Yuko. _"And now it's time to finish where I left off."_ With one more attempt, he raised his sword up in the air. However, Yuko sensing danger quickly disappeared as fast as she had come.

When Daisuke was certain the threat was gone, he fell on his bottom and signed. He thought for sure they were goners. Luckily, Kaori used her...

Wait now.

Daisuke stood back up and made his way back to Kaori who happily smiled at the hunter, though she looked exhausted.

" _How did you know you could do that?"_ he asked, though he knew he was going to be afraid of her answer.

" _Oh, you mean that pink light arrow?"_ she responded. _"I didn't."_ Daisuke stood there with a dumbstruck look on his face.

" _Wait, are you telling me that you just randomly decided to fire an arrow at my sword?!"_ The young girl nodded. Daisuke slapped his hand on his forehead.

You got to be kidding me.

" _Well it worked!"_ She chuckled as she tried to stand up. She used the tree as a crutch while staying off her right foot.

" _You're lucky it did."_ Daisuke replied, still in disbelief over this girl. _"Now we should worry about getting that foot of yours checked out."_ The demon hunter walked over to Kaori and proceeded to strap Katsu upon her back.

" _What are you doing?"_ Kaori asked, puzzled.

" _Well I can't carry you and Katsu."_ He replied. Once strapped on, he turned his back to her and lowered himself to the ground. _"Hop on!"_

" _Thanks"_ Kaori grabbed onto Daisuke and proceeded to wrap her arms and legs around him. Daisuke grabbed both of the young woman's legs and lifted her up. Soon, the hunter and the priestess were on their way once again.

" _You're one crazy woman"_ Daisuke replied.

" _Is that any way to talk to your saviour?"_ Kaori teased, as she leaned over his right side to see the expression on his face. _"Who knew that you would end up becoming my burden."_

" _Woah woah woah, one lucky shot and now you think I am the burden?"_ Daisuke began as he felt the young woman snuggled into his back, her warmth seeping through his armored clothes. He then shook his head.

" _Fine, you get this one."_

 **~~ Kagome/Kaori ~~**

She was tired. The soft rocking from the way Daisuke walked and his soft but husky voice had become very soothing to her. She drew his body close to her and snuggled her head as much as she possibly could to his body, allowing his body heat to soak into her own. She was happy to be able to get this close to him.

Kaori knew it wasn't love, at least not yet. But Daisuke was attractive and she couldn't deny the connection between them.

But as she slowly starting to drift off, she felt something else other than happiness. She couldn't quite understand it but she felt as if guilt was hidden under this happiness of hers. As if she was slowly but surely starting to betray someone else that was very close to her heart.

 **A/N: Sorry for the delayed update! Though it has only been four days, the length between updates might get longer due to college and other responsibilities I have. But I will try and fit as much time into writing as I possibly can. Also, the next chapter will be bringing Inuyasha back into the mix! And hopefully for any of you fans of Inuyasha, he'll be in the story more now that I got one of the main plots out of the way! So don't forget to tell me what you think by leaving a review!**

 **~~ WaterLilly37 ~~**


	7. Chapter 7

**I'm happy to be spending**

 **Another day with you.**

 **For I know our days are numbered,**

 **And there is nothing I can do.**

 **I'm happy to be creating**

 **Such great memories with you**

 **So that I'll have something to look back on,**

 **When the time we have is through.**

 **I'm happy to be sharing**

 **A piece of myself, it's true.**

 **So that no matter what happens to me,**

 **I'll still live inside of you.**

 **~~ WaterLilly37 ~~**

 **A/N: Sorry for the extremely late update. The holidays and Janauary have been a very busy time for me. I am hoping that I'll be able to get a few more updates out while I have a little bit of time to spare. Though, the updates still might be far inbetween.**

 **Also, sorry for the mispellings and grammar errors you may come across. I am stuck using wordpad as my "go to" for writing my stories and it doesn't have spell check or any fancy correction apps. Mind you, I have read it over and fixed what I noticed, so it won't be a complete mess.**

 **And thanks again! Here is the next chapter. Short and sweet!**

 **~~ Inuyasha ~~**

The hanyou paced around the hut, unable to stay still. It had been three weeks since Kagome disappear and they were no closer to finding her since the first day she went missing. Inuyasha had tried countless times to try and pick up her scent in the forest, but it was no use. It seemed to have disappeared along with the two others, one human and the other a demon. With each passing day, the chances of picking up Kagome's scent again lowered. By the end of the first week, her scent had completely disappeared from the place he had first picked it up.

" _Damnit!"_ he heard himself swear under his breath for what seemed to be the millionth time. He hated the fact that he couldn't find Kagome and that if he paid a little more attention to his surroundings - _to her -_ he wouldn't be in this mess in the first place.

 _"The last time I saw your face like that, it was because of my doing. But I assume that's not the case now."_ The hanyou quickly turned around to face the woman who owned the voice he was all but familiar with.

 _"Kikyo, should you be up already?"_ His face instantly softened when he saw her. It was also his fault for endangering Kikyo's life again. The Miko just sat down on one of the many mats Kaede had lying on the floor beside the fire as she stared at the hanyou.

Her eyes were glistening with the reflection of fire, but held no emotion. _"I am not human. This body only needed to be repaired in which it has been. I am fine. I can't say the same for the young miko girl though."_ Her voice held no pity.

 _"Kikyo, listen I'm sor-"_

 _"I don't need an apology."_ The miko closed her eyes as she let her body relax a little. She was wearing her infamous miko garb, with her raven black hair hanging loosely down her back. _"However, the next time we cross path, I would prefer if you heed my warnings."_

This took Inuyasha back. _"Hey, I didn't mean for any of this to happen, ok? I smelt the demon and thought you were in trouble!"_

 _"But instead, you almost cost me my life and allowed the demon to flee, did you not?"_ The hanyou balled his hands into fists. He couldn't deny this, as much as he wanted to. _"Do you know anything about the demon you faced? Or do you always head into battles blind?"_

 _"I didn't think I would lose."_ The miko signed as she looked at the hanyou, her eyes seeming to hold back on her feelings towards him.

 _"Listen, the main thing now is to save the girl, Kagome was it? With her, Naraku is one step closer to his plan."_ As soon as Kikyo spoke the name, Inuyasha began to tense up. What did Naraku have to do with any of this?

 _"Kikyo, please tell me what you know. I am the reason Kagome is in this mess to begin with. I need to save her."_ Inuyasha sat down across the fire from Kikyo, his eyes expressing all the hurt and pain he was in over this young woman. It pained Kikyo to see him this way towards another woman, but this hanyou was no longer hers. She knew this. And because of that, he would never know her true feelings.

 _"Fine. But I will share what I know this one time and then you're on your own."_ She stared at Inuyasha with a hard cold stare, letting him know how serious she was. He was not to meddle in her affairs again. The hanyou agreed, as much as he wanted to refuse.

 _"First off, Naraku needs a prietess, and not just any prietess but a powerful one."_

 _"But why?"_ Inuyasha gritted, hating the idea that Kagome could already be in Naraku's clutches and being used as a pawn in his evil games.

 _"I don't know. I haven't figured that out yet. But I do know that he needed one and that's why he was after me. Something is keeping Naraku from doing the deed himself. Whatever that is, I have yet to figure out as well. So that is where the demon twins come in."_

 _"Demon twins?"_ Inuyasha let this information sink in. _"Wait, are you telling me that demon we were facing earlier is one of those twins?"_

 _"Yes, her name is Yuko the Song of Blood. As you can guess, she gets her name from her ability of controlling demons through their demonic blood."_ Inuyasha remembered being under the demon's control and unable to free himself from it, no matter how hard he tried.

" _So she can control any demons including hanyous?"_

" _If her victims have any demon blood within their veins, whether they are full demon or not, they can fall under her influence. The amount of demon blood in one's veins does not matter, its existence in the blood is the only thing that does."_

Inuyasha now understood why Kikyo was better off without him showing up between their battle. Kikyo had no demon blood within her which meant that Yuko's powers were useless on the miko. But when Inuyasha showed up, it allowed her to use him as a weapon through song.

He punched the floor with his fist. _"Damn her to hell! The next time I see her, I will break that flute of hers and kill her with my own claws!"_

" _I highly doubt that,"_ Kikyo interrupted, _"Yuko's main method for fighting is using the blood within your very veins which if you remember correctly, she did easily. But even if you did manage to break her flute, which seems unlikely, that's not her only method. She is a demon Inuyasha. She has other means to fight and she's not one to take lightly."_

" _So what do you suggest I do?!"_ He could feel his anger start to rise. He hated when she was right.

" _I suggest you try to avoid Yuko altogether. If you happen to cross paths with her, allow your companions to fight her while you get as far away from her as possible. If you don't, you might end up being used against your very friends and unlike me, they have flesh and blood that can't be so easily repaired."_ As much as this idea pissed Inuyasha off, he knew that he had to listen to Kikyo's advice. He didn't want to be the reason Sango or Miroku was harmed or possibly killed.

" _So what about the other one? You said there were twins."_

" _Yes, the other one is named Euji of Lost Memories. He is much stronger than Yuko and I suggest you be cautious around him as well."_

" _So what is his main ability? And does it involve me running away again cause like hell I am running away from every battle."_

Kikyo smirked. The same hanyou even 50 years later. _"No, you may challenge Euji if your heart so desires. His main power is to steal one's memory and create new memories that benefit him in some way. Or in this case, Naraku."_

" _Wait, what?"_

" _See, Naraku needs a miko for whatever reason. However, he knew the miko would not come easily. So that's where Euji's power comes into play. He would steal the miko's memory and in its place, fill it with information on what he wanted the miko to know and do. Thus, use them as a weapon. Of course, this takes some time. He would have to extract the memory previously in the miko and then develop his own memories within her head. By the time he is finished, the miko would only remember the fake memories he placed there."_

" _So wait, are you telling me that if that bastard has Kagome, he is planning to erase her memories and replace them with fake ones?"_

" _Yes."_ Kikyo confirmed. _"I am assuming the memories that will be placed inside of Kagome would benefit Naraku in some way. Make her a puppet of sorts for him. She would not only listen and obey his commands, but she may also fight against you if you were to try and rescue her. In her eyes, she would see you as the enemy."_

Inuyasha couldn't believe what he was hearing. There was no way Kagome would let that happen! She would never forget him or her friends. But then again, he was easily manipulated under Yuko's spell and she was known to be the weaker of the two according to Kikyo. His heart started to beat faster.

" _If Kagome's memories were removed, how do I break the curse?"_ Inuyasha asked with a stern expression on his face.

" _You can't. It doesn't work quite like Yuko's power. Kagome was able to break the spell that you were under because you were still there within yourself. However, if her memories are truly gone and replaced with the fake ones, you can't break the spell. Unlike you, what makes Kagome herself has been removed from her body. Which means no matter what you do, she won't remember you. Even if you were to try and force her to remember, she can't because her memories are not there. The only way you could possibly get her back to normal would be to remove the fake memories and replace them with her own."_

" _And how do I do that?"_ Inuyasha was standing again now. He couldn't sit still any longer knowing what kind of danger he put Kagome in. He had to save her, no matter what.

" _Her memories will look like a small colored jewel and would more than likely be in possession of Euji. As for how you would remove the fake one and replace the old, I don't know."_

Inuyasha felt his hands ball into fists again. This seemed to be a normal posture for him as of late.

" _Kikyo, if I can find Kagome and bring her back here with the jewel that holds her memories, do you think you could bring her back to normal?"_ Kikyo signed as she looked into the fire once again. Still she showed no emotion.

" _I can't promise you anything. But bring her to me and I will do what's in my power to try and save her."_

Inuyasha gave Kikyo a small smile. _"Thanks. I'm going to go find the others and share the information you just gave me. We'll bring Kagome back so place don't leave the village until I do."_

Inuyasha made his way to the door of the hut. He might not know where Kagome was exactly, but at least he knew about some of the dangers he was to face and what he had to do.

" _One more thing,"_ The Miko added, as she stood up from her mat and stared at the hanyou who was about to leave her sister's home. _"There is a time limit you have to meet. The longer the real memories stay outside of her body, the harder it will be to replace it. So I suggest you find her soon before her memories will no longer be accepted by her body."_

Inuyasha gave Kikyo a small nod before he jumped into the open air, disappearing into the rolling hills of the village.

 **~~ Kaori/Kagome ~~**

The arrow flew from her bow and struck the target with a loud thud hitting dead center. It had been three weeks since there last run in with the demon Yuko and Kaori spent much of this time practicing with the bow, trying to improve her skill with it.

Like Daisuke had pointed out many times, her heroic shot was just plain luck. If called upon to do it again, Kaori would surely fail. So she promised herself to spend the next few days of her travel improving herself with the bow.

" _Hmm, you are getting really good at this. You even managed to hit the moving targets almost dead center as well."_

" _Yeah,"_ Kaori responded as she turned her attention to her hunter companion, who was watching her from a distance. _"It almost feels natural to use the bow and arrow."_

" _Well considering you can use purification power by releasing an arrow, I can safely assume this was the weapon you used previous of your memory loss."_ Kaori nodded in agreement as she walked over to Daisuke. _"How's the foot?"_

" _I told you it was fine two weeks ago. Nothing has changed, honestly. I think I might have just twisted it a little. Besides, I have been practicing my combat skills with you, have I not? I might not be the fastest, but I managed to keep up with your lessons as far as I am concerned."_ Kaori sat down beside him and took an apple that Daisuke had already laid out and offered to her.

" _Ok, just checking. Don't want to head out and have you injured halfway through."_ He gave her a small smile. _"Oh, and when you're finished with that, we're doing a few rounds with the sword again."_

Kaori signed as she nodded in agreement. She knew she couldn't refuse, that was the deal. If they were to continue travelling together, than she had to learn how to fight, both with a long range weapon and a short range one. Of course, she picked the bow and arrow as her long range weapon, which seemed to be the obvious choice since her last battle with Yuko. As for her close range weapon, Daisuke had purchased a small sword for her. The size was a little worrisome at first since it seemed so small compared to the weapon Daisuke wielded, but once she realized how sharp and lightweight the sword was, she had soon forgotten its size.

Of course, it took her a lot longer to get the hang of using the sword over the bow and arrow. And of course, Daisuke was training her on how to block and avoid attacks as well. The training was long and hard as she spent the majority of the three weeks under strict training sessions. The first week being with her bow and arrow since she was told to rest off her foot until it healed. She didn't need to move much to fire an arrow at a target. Then from the second week onward, she was training for both bow and sword. She was no profession at wielding the sword, but at least now she could defend herself in battle.

She bit into the apple hungrily as she watched the demon hunter begin his daily routine of caring for his sword. Never a day went by where Daisuke didn't care for his weapon, which made Kaori smile since she knew Katsu was alive. In fact, it kind of seemed like a fatherly thing for Daisuke to do.

 _I wonder if he would be this dedicated if it was his child..._

Kaori stopped herself from going any further with the thought and shook her head. She did not want to start thinking of Daisuke as a father, especially if it meant that there would be another girl in the picture.

She bit into the apple again with a little more force, juice spraying everywhere. Daisuke noticed it and gave a little chuckle.

 _"The food is already dead, no need to kill it."_ Kaori snapped out of her train of thought and looked at the hunter.

 _"Oh, sorry. I was just thinking of something."_ No way was she going to let him know exactly what she was thinking about.

 _"Let me guess, you're still worried about your memories"_ Now that he brought it up, she had been worried about that too.

 _"Well, I guess you could say that. I mean, you know who you are and where you came from and what your purpose is. Me? I don't know anything. I could have family who are out looking for me, risking their lives wondering where I am. I could have friends who have spent these pass three weeks searching for a body thinking some demon made away with me. Or, I could have had nobody and been travelling by myself this whole time. I just don't know and it's killing me that I don't."_

 _"Well, I highly doubt you have to worry about the last one. I'm sure someone like you had plenty of friends and family who care a lot about you."_ Kaori looked at Daisuke who gave her one of his soft smiles. He tended to share this smile with her whenever she was worrying about something or needed cheering up. _"Besides, I am going to help you get your memories back."_

This sparked Kaori's interest.

 _"Oh? And how do you plan on doing that?"_

 _"Easy. I was talking to some villagers from the neighboring towns we have stayed in. Not many people know how to fix your situation, but some of the village's wise men and woman suggested going to see a very highly skilled Priestess residing in a village not too far from here. They think she might be able to help you."_

 _"Another priestess?"_ Kaori questioned. _"And what makes you think she'll know what to do?"_

Daisuke leaned back against a tree and put his hands behind his head, Katsu still lying on his legs with a rag gently laid upon it.

 _"I don't, but it's the only lead I have so we're going with it."_ Kaori just signed as she stared at the hunter.

 _"You said highly skilled. So she must be well known."_

 _"Well, of course. She has done a lot for people and out of the kindness of her own heart. She is after saving people from all kinds of demons and wrongful humans. People really look up to her."_ Daisuke was talking about this woman as if she was a saint of some kind and for some reason; this made her heart go a little crazy.

 _"Sounds great. We're going to see the hero of all, the priestess of the people, the saint of all that is good..."_

 _"Hey"_ Daisuke cut her off, sensing the sarcasm in her voice. _"Are we a little jealous of the priestess?"_ He gave her a smirk which made Kaori's blood boil.

 _"No! Definitely not!"_ She turned her attention away from the hunter. Like always, he was completely off. There was no way she was jealous of him commenting about another woman!

 _"Well, don't let it get to you too much. She's probably well trained and hasn't had her memory taken from her. Besides, I am sure with a lot more hard work, you'll be at her level some day and people will begin talking about you."_

She couldn't believe it. He thought she was jealous over this woman's abilities?! Was he an idiot? Of course she wasn't jealous of that! She was...wait, why was she even mad? She placed her hand upon her forehead. Was she actually jealous? It felt like it.

 _"Never mind, we'll go see the Priestess and hear what she has to say about my situation."_ _She said, feeling the anger leave her body._

 _"Great! We'll leave tomorrow. Until then, we got some training to do!"_

 _"Oh, does this Priestess have a name? I mean, if she is famous and all, her name must be pretty popular."_

Daisuke grabbed Katsu and slung the sword over his shoulder before facing Kaori again. _"Of course she has a name. Who doesn't?"_ He teased.

 _"Funny. So, what is it?"_

 _"Kagome."_


	8. Chapter 8

**Will I forever be lost in this new form I've taken.**

 ** _Don't stop fighting! I need to be awakened!_**

 **As I dawn on my new life, I feel like I can stay like this forever.**

 ** _It might feel nice right now, but your heart will always remember._**

 **Do I really want my memories back rather than stay with you?**

 ** _Damnit! Don't leave me to fade away! You have to see this through!_**

 **I like where I am now, not sure if I can go back.**

 ** _But you'll never truly find happiness, this I know is fact._**

 **My mind wants me to chase this dream, but my heart tells me to flee.**

 ** _That's because the mind is yours, but the heart belongs to me._**

 **~~WaterLilly37~~**

 **A/N: Hey everyone, I managed to get another chapter. It's finally getting into the meat of the story now, so for those of you who stuck with it until now, thanks! Every review, good or bad, is welcomed and even to those silent readers, thanks for taking the time to read one of my works! Now, on with the chapter!**

 **~~ Daisuke ~~**

Had it really been three weeks already? Time seemed to be passing by much faster than Daisuke had ever remembered. Then again, a lot had been happening since he ran into the young miko, Kaori.

Clang!

The blade of a small sword held in the tiny hands of a woman made contact with Katsu. Both swords began to hum the same familiar tune that they had begun two weeks prior.

 _"Good, but you still got a long way to go."_

Kaori took a few feet back from him and exhaled the breath she was holding. He watched her as she regained composure after their face off. He could tell she was not use to this kind of training and that it was taking its toll on her body, but she needed to be prepared. Especially if it meant keeping herself safe against the demon twins.

 _"Let's take a break."_ Daisuke stated as he sat down on the grass with Katsu placed beside him. He was perfectly fine because he was use to the strain, but he knew Kaori wouldn't last much longer.

He heard her sign as she walked over to him and dropped down on a patch of grass only a few feet away.

 _"I really am pathetic. I still can't get my blade anywhere near you and it tires me out so easily."_

 _"Hey, you can't tell me you expected to be a master swordsman in two short weeks, did you?"_ He teased as he reached into his bag and pulled out a bottle of water. _"Here, drink this. It'll help."_ He gave the bottle a toss.

Koari caught it easily. She quickly unscrewed the top and began to drink hungrily as water started dripping from the sides of her mouth. She almost had the whole bottle gone when she stopped and looked at the hunter.

 _"Oh, did you want some?"_

 _"No thanks. I mean, you practically drooled into that bottle and everything. Man, I met demons with more manners than -"_

Before Daisuke could finish, he sensed something being thrown into the air. The hunter, without even removing his gaze from his pack, held his hand up in the air catching the almost empty water bottle. He smirked.

 _"Nice try."_

 _"..."_

Kaori stood back up with sword in hand. She swung it left and right before stopping. Daisuke watched her, a little nervous about the woman he may have just pissed off wielding any sort of weapon.

 _"I want to practice some more."_

 _"Are you sure? I know it's important that you learn everything that you can about fighting, but you need to have plenty of rest as well."_

 _"I know,"_ she replied. _"But I feel a lot better thanks to the water. Besides, I strangely find myself all fired up again."_ She shot the hunter a smirk before putting the tip of her sword in his direction.

Daisuke gave the miko an awkward smile. Surely this would not end well for him if he were to take her on in this mood so he decided to make her an offer.

 _"You know, I think it's time that we practice with the real deal. How about we start heading towards the village and when we come across a demon, we can practice on that. That way, we can walk and allow you to have a proper rest."_ Yeah, that would be better! Let her take that anger out on some poor helpless roaming demon. At least it would take that anger off of him.

Kaori looked at the hunter with a worried expression. _"Are you sure that I am ready for that?"_

 _"Probably not. But I will help you, so don't worry about it."_

 _"That isn't exactly comforting."_ The young miko teased.

 _"What do you mean? Haven't I protected you fine enough until now? I mean, you don't look dead to me."_

 _"Well, there was that one time that I-"_

 _"Stop! That was only the one time!"_ The demon hunter began, as he watched the young girl start to laugh while gathering everything from their latest camp out and packing it back into the bag. He smiled back at her.

He hadn't really noticed as of late, but when did he start having so much fun? Was all this laughter and happiness due to her, the young miko? It had been some time since he was freely able to express anything other than fear, anger, or regret. His past wouldn't let him forget those feelings.

 _"What?"_

Daisuke snapped back to his senses as he realized he had been caught staring at the young woman for much longer than he should have been.

 _"Oh...ahh...it's nothing. Really."_ He replied, waving his hands in front of his face and giving the young miko an awkward smile.

 _"Are you thinking perverted thoughts?"_ Kaori asked, giving him a glare.

 _"What? No! Definitely not!"_

 _"You totally were, weren't you?!"_

 _"I said that I wasn't, so I wasn't."_

 _"But your face is all red!"_

Daisuke couldn't see his face, but there was no way in hell that woman made him feel embarrassed!

 _"I'm just feeling a little warm, that's all!"_

 _"Liar."_

This woman was really intolerable at times.

 _"Even if I was, they definitely wouldn't be about you!"_ Daisuke shot back while packing his bag up. _"I mean, look at you. Flat chest, awkward body shape. You're not even my type!"_ He definitely did _NOT_ think of her like that. No way. Definitely not.

BANG.

Daisuke stopped what he was doing and placed his hand up to his head. Did she just throw a rock at him?

BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG.

 _"JERK!"_ The miko screamed at him before grabbing her own bag, throwing it over her shoulders and running deeper into the forest.

Now he did it.

 _"Koari wait damnit! That's not what I meant..."_ But as his words trailed off, he knew he blew it big time.

Great.

 **~ ~ Inuyasha ~ ~**

A flock of birds took flight from a group of trees not far from where Miroku, Sango, Kilala, and Shippo were walking. The small group signed to themselves.

 _"That idiot, he's going to give us away to some demon!"_ The little fox kutsune said, arms crossed as he sat upon the larger form of Kilala's head.

 _"He's just worried about finding Kagome."_ Miroku stated, _"And you know he never reacts rationally when it involves her being in danger."_

 _"But Shippo has a point. I know he is worried about Kagome but we don't want Eiji or Yuko to find us before we even find her. The last thing we need is an unnecessary battle with those two."_

 _"Hmm,"_ nodded Miroku in agreement. _"From what Inuyasha told us, they are not ones to be taken lightly even if we do have a plan to counter attack some of their abilities."_

 _"Let's not think about that!"_ exclaimed Shippo, who was not thrilled of the idea of fighting off more demons.

Just then, a black shadow moved in front of the group from the leafy canopy above which caused Shippo to yell out and hide behind Miroku's back.

 _"Shippo! Stop playing around. We need to find clues about Kagome's whereabouts."_ the annoyed hanyou spat.

 _"Inuyasha you idiot!"_ Shippo yelled back. _"You scared me half to death! I thought you were the demon twins!"_

 _"Keh! And what if I was? You going to run away scared like that?"_ the hanyou teased.

 _"Of course I am! And you should too, remember? I don't want to be controlled by Yuko's powers!"_

 _"Keh! If you think I am going to fall under that wench's spell again, you are clearly mistaken."_

 _"Enough."_ Sango interrupted, clearly annoyed by the two bickering over more nonsense. _"Inuyasha, did you find any clues or pick up Kagome's scent?"_

 _"No,"_ the hanyou said flatly. _"I can't pick up her scent anywhere. Not since that time three weeks ago."_

 _"What about that human? You said you smelt another human's scent along with Kagome's, right?"_ Miroku chimed in.

 _"Nothing. It's like they completely vanished."_

 _"Well, no point in staying around here and pouting."_ the demon slayer added. _"Let's split up and cover more ground. Maybe we can come across something faster that way."_

 _"I think Sango is right. My suggestion is that Sango and I go in one direction while Inuyasha, Shippo and Kilala go in the other."_

 _"Why do I got to babysit?!"_ Inuyasha blurted out.

 _"Because the demons and humans are going to separate in order to keep each other safe."_ The monk replied. _"Think about it. If Sango and I were to run into Yuko, there will be no demons among our numbers that she will have the opportunity to control. I rather not have to wrestle you three to the ground in order to keep my life."_

 _"That's great, but what if we run into her? She has the chance to take control of all of us!"_ Shippo exclaimed.

 _"Not if you smell her out and Inuyasha should know what she smells like so if you come across her scent, go the other way. Besides, three noses are better than one."_ Inuyasha had to hand it to the monk, his plan seemed like a good idea even if he didn't really like it.

 _"We will meet back at the village by nightfall if we haven't come across any new leads. And if you do come across something, send Kilala to come and get us."_ Sango added.

 _"Right."_ the white hair hanyou replied as he started walking in one direction deeper into the forest. _"Come on Shippo, we're wasting time here. Kilala, you too."_

Kilala meowed in response as Shippo signed.

 _"And which one of us is doing the babysitting exactly?"_

 _"I HEARD THAT SHIPPO!"_

 **~ ~ X ~ ~**

 _"Hey Inuyasha! Can you slow down! Kilala and I can't keep up with you!"_ called out Shippo from upon Kilala's back. The trio had continued the search for Kagome but with no luck. Between the three of them, they couldn't pick up the young miko's scent which was beginning to get more discouraging as the day wore on.

Inuyasha ignored them as he continued to scan the area from above a branch on a tree for any signs of activity that could possible lead him to where Kagome could have gone. Of course, he didn't see anything and this pissed him off.

 _Kagome, where the hell are you? I swear if Naraku has laid even one hand on you, so help me god..._

 _"Inuyasha, we need to start heading back. It's getting dark."_ he heard Shippo call out. The little fox kutsune was right. It was starting to get late once again which meant another day wasted in an endless search and coming up with nothing. He leaned against a tree and clutched his hands into fists.

Why was it so hard to find her? Could she really be this far out? It had been three weeks. She could be anywhere at this point, especially if Eiji managed to take her memories. She could be wandering anywhere and not knowing where the hell to go or who the hell she was. This made the hanyou's heart pound a little faster.

 _"Shippo, you head back. I am going to continue looking a little longer."_

 _"But Inuyasha! She isn't around here! If she was, we would have smelt her scent by now. And there is no clues here saying she's anywhere close. We can try again in the morning."_

Kilala meowed in agreement with Shippo. As much as Inuyasha wanted to argue, the little kutsune was right. No sense going around in the dark. Besides, Kagome wouldn't be out in the middle of the woods at night. Even if she did lose her memories, she would know not to stick around in an area as dangerous as a forest at night.

The hanyou jumped down from the tree he was standing on and landed softly on the ground next to Shippo and Kilala.

 _"Alright, let's head back"_ he grumbled. His displeasure over their progress was clear in his voice. Shippo looked sadly at the hanyou.

 _"We feel the same way you do,"_ He said softly. _"We miss her too."_

 _"I know"_ was all the hanyou said before he started to walk back in the direction of the village.

Just then, a group of birds in the distance started to take flight as Inuyasha, Shippo and Kilala stopped to take a look.

 _"Hey, isn't it kind of late for birds to be flying off like that?"_ Shippo asked, as Kilala gave a low growl.

 _"That is strange"_ Inuyasha replied suspiciously. _"Shippo, you head back with Kilala and tell Sango and Miroku that I am gone to check something out. If I am not back within the hour, come and find me in that direction."_ The hanyou pointed in the direction from where the birds flew from.

 _"Ok. Be careful. Come on Kilala, let's go get the others."_ Kilala nodded and with one giant leap, flew up into the air with Shippo riding on her back.

Inuyasha didn't waste any more time. He started running, hoping and praying that whatever disturbed the birds in the distance would lead to some sort of clue to where Kagome could be. He couldn't guarantee this would mean anything or if it was just another demon wandering the forest. But he had nothing to go on and at least this presented something to keep him occupied.

Faster and faster the hanyou ran while trees, bushes, and creatures went by in a blur. He wasn't far now from his destination. He jumped upon a branch of a tree and began scanning the area. Nothing.

He jumped back down to the ground and began running again. This was the process he took up in the past three weeks. This was what chewed up most of his days. This is what chew up most of his nights. Searching for the woman he cared deeply about but would never admit to it.

Just as he was nearing his destination, his nose caught a scent which made his heart skip a beat. He stopped and started to breath in, trying to confirm that the scent was actually what he thought it was and not just his mind playing tricks on him.

As he breathed in, a vision of the young raven haired miko came into view. The scent was definitely Kagome's.

Then he truly started to run, faster than he had ever ran before as his nose showed him the way. Her scent was getting stronger and stronger.

Even better, she seemed to be alone.

That's when he saw movement up ahead. He stopped running long enough to leap onto another branch and peer down at the figure below him. He knew all too well that it could be a trap.

 _Gods, please let this be her. Let this be the real Kagome._

As he watched the figure come more into view, his heart started to beat faster and faster, making Inuyasha swear it would just explode.

The young miko made it through to the clearing where only feet away stood the tree the hanyou himself was on. She was wearing a miko garb instead of her usual clothing and also had her hair tied back. From the smell of salt coming off of her, he could tell she had been crying.

Maybe she does still have her memories! She was probably crying because she was left all alone in the forest up until now.

Within seconds of spotting, and confirming, that this was indeed Kagome, the hanyou jumped from his branch and landed within feet from the woman. This caused her to turn around quickly and come face to face with the hanyou.

Without so much as thinking as what to say or what to do, the hanyou found himself embracing the woman and holding onto her tightly.

 _"Thank gods"_ he whispered. He took those few seconds to breath in her scent, her warmth, her body. He had finally found her and she was safe. She was not with Naraku, the demon twins, or the mysterious human that he smelt during the first time he found her scent.

She was here, alive and well.

He pulled away from her and noticed the confused look that was mixed with fear in the woman's eyes.

 _"Ka-"_ but before the hanyou could finish, the woman drew a dagger out from her miko garb and swung at the hanyou.

Inuyasha stepped back just in time before the blade made contact with his face. He was in shock.

Did Kagome just try to attack him?!

 _"Back off demon!"_ The young woman replied as she drew out her bow and arrow and aimed at Inuyasha's head.

 _"Demon!? I'm not a demon!"_ He yelled back.

Just then, an arrow was released from the woman's bow and flew past Inuyasha's right ear, causing some of his hair to be cut off in the process. The arrow got lodged into the trunk of the tree Inuyasha was previous standing in.

That's when Inuyasha understood.

~ ~ **Kagome/Kaori ~ ~**

How dare _HE_ say that kind of stuff to her! Who did he think he was?! What did he take _HER_ for?!

Kaori stopped running long enough to catch her breath and ball her small hands into tiny fists. Tears started to fall from her eyes and down her cheeks as she continued to walk straight ahead.

Flat chest!? Awkward body shape!?

So she didn't have the perfect body, is that all he cared about?! Wasn't she good enough the way she was?

 _"Jerk"_ she heard herself swear under her breath.

She knew she was probably overreacting again, but she couldn't help it. She understood their relationship; they were companions, maybe even friends, but nothing more. Even so, she thought she was making progress with him and that maybe someday he would look at her the way she looked at him.

 _You're not even my type!_

The words continued to echo in her head as the tears became heavier and heavier. He definitely didn't see her in the same way she saw him and he probably never would.

 _"Who would fall in love with a girl that has amnesia anyway?"_ She asked herself, trying to wipe away some of the tears that had pooled in her eyes.

But wasn't he staring at her for a long period of time back then? She didn't imagine that. So maybe...

Stop.

She wasn't going to give herself any more false hope. She was through trying to reach out to him, trying to get him to notice her. Instead, she would treat him as if she was talking to any other male she knew. Then again, how did she treat others who she didn't hold feelings for? He was the only real connection she had. Other times were just short and random encounters with strangers.

Kaori signed as she stopped walking and leaned against a tree trunk. She should return to where Daisuke was which was probably at the camp they set up earlier that day. He was probably still there waiting for her, annoyed at the fact that she ran off like a child. She wouldn't be surprised if he decided to part ways after her tantrum.

She pushed herself off the trunk of the tree and looked around. It was already getting late and she had no idea where she was. She remembered Daisuke telling her that being in the forest at night was stupid and to never do it. Most demons took advantage of humans being unable to see very well in the dark.

She placed her hands to the upper left side of her miko garb, feeling the dagger up against her breast. It made her hands tremble thinking of the time she first used it, and the idea of having to use it again.

 _"I just got to go back the way I came"_ she told herself. And so, she started walking.

An hour later, Kaori knew she was lost. She had been wandering around and still had no idea where the camp was or where Daisuke could be. The sun had just set behind the hills giving off very little light for her to see in.

 _"I can't believe I am lost."_ She thought to herself, wrapping her arms around her body. She wasn't cold, at least not yet. But she was nervous about being the prey of some demon out here by herself, especially if it meant going against the demon twins.

 _"You trained with Daisuke, you will be ok. You got this!"_ She kept repeating to herself, over and over again, hoping to spark some courage within. Just then she heard a twig snap from behind her.

Kaori shrieked as she pulled out the small sword she still had upon her and pointed it in the direction of the noise. Birds that were resting in the branches above took flight from Kaori's shriek, abandoning their resting area.

Kaori stared in the direction her sword was pointed at and saw nothing. She lowered the sword and let out her breath that she was holding.

 _"Kaori, get a hold of yourself!"_

She pictured Daisuke laughing at her from the sidelines, commenting on her choice of "battle tactics". This made her blood boil.

 _"That's it! I got to handle this the same way Daisuke would. Stop being afraid and start thinking smart."_ She placed her sword back where it belonged and continued walking, all the while keeping her eyes and ears opened for any signs of danger.

Every so often, Kaori would hear noises from far away and she felt her heart beat faster. Was she being followed? And was it friend or foe? Maybe she was just imaging it. She tried to keep her cool and think things through like Daisuke was teaching her, but she found it really hard when thoughts of a demon stalking her evading her thoughts.

Could she really fight off a demon by herself?

As Kaori continued walking, she noticed a clearing up ahead. After spending all day walking through the brush, she was longing to get back on a nice clear path for a change. The thickness of the forest was really starting to wear down on her and if she wanted to get back before nightfall, she needed to hurry.

She cleared the brush and walked into the small clearing ahead. She wanted to stop here and take a break and clear her mind of demons and danger and of being stalked.

Just then, she heard a noise as if _something_ had just landed only a few feet away from her. Her heart started to race. Was this the demon that had been stalking her all this time? So she wasn't imaging it!

She took a deep breath and quickly turned around.

And only two feet away stood a male with a pair of golden eyes and long flowing white hair.

Before Kaori even had time to react, the demon practically leaped the two feet that was between them and...

Embraced her?!

Kaori was completely taken off guard by this demon. She could feel him press her against his body, feeling almost every muscle along his stomach to his chest. He was certainly fit, that was for sure.

Her heart started to race once more as she felt the demon hold her tighter.

Whatever this demon was doing, she couldn't trust him. Daisuke always warned her about demons preying on humans and tricking them with many of their tricks. Maybe this was one of those demons. Either way, she didn't trust him.

Without letting this demon know of her plan, she moved her hand to the dagger in her miko garb and grabbed the hilt of it.

 _"Get out of there!"_ She could hear Daisuke's voice screaming within her to move.

Just as the demon pulled away and about to speak, she pulled the dagger out and made a swing at his face. Of course she missed; she wasn't expecting the demon's reflexes to be as poor as hers.

The demon moved back, looking at her in complete bewilderment.

 _"Back off demon!"_ She yelled out. She grabbed her bow that she was carrying and took an arrow from a quiver. She lined the arrow up to the demon's head.

 _"Demon? I'm not a demon!"_ Her opponent yelled back.

She let loose the arrow. It flew past the demon's right ear and even managed to cut some of his hair off. A warning shot.

 _"I mean it! Back off! The next arrow won't miss!"_

And just as she threatened him, she noticed the look on his face. There was anguish and pain. But why?

 _"Listen to me, I am not your enemy."_ He calmly said as he began taking a few steps towards her.

Kaori took a step back and raised her bow to the demon again. _"I'm not joking! If you don't stop, I will let loose this arrow right in the middle of your forehead."_

She saw the man go stiff again as he stopped moving. Her hands started to shake as her mind starting to race, trying to think of a way to escape. She didn't want to die here. Not yet. At the very least, she wanted to apologize to Daisuke for running off like that and maybe get a chance to see him one last time.

 _"I'm not going to hurt you."_ He said flatly. Of course she didn't believe him.

 _"Then what do you want?"_ She asked, arrow still aimed at him.

 _"I came to rescue you."_

The young miko gave a small laugh as she continued to stare down the demon in front of her.

 _"I don't need to be rescued. I am fine on my own."_ She replied.

 _"Keh, that's what you think. You're shaking like a leaf over there and I'm not even doing anything! How do you expect to survive out here by yourself?"_

 _"Who says that I'm alone?"_

She noticed the look in the man's eyes went from anguish and now changed to anger. He glared at her, hard.

 _"What do you mean you're not alone?"_ He growled.

Kaori took a deep breath. She didn't expect him to get so anger over that bit of information. She assumed it was because it meant she would be harder to outright kill if someone else was in the picture as well. The thought made her hands sweat and her knees shake. She really wasn't ready to face a demon by herself.

 _"Answer me!"_ The demon yelled as he started walking towards her again. Kaori continued to aim the arrow at him.

 _"I warn you -"_

 _"Go ahead. Try it. Before you even let that arrow fly, I will have you down on the ground. Now tell me, what did you mean by you're not alone? Who else is with you?"_

 _"She means that she's with me!"_ came a voice from further in the forest. Just then a blast of white energy came from the woods and shot across the ground at the demon that was only feet away from her.

The demon avoided the attack with ease as he looked in the direction of the blast.

Kaori felt a wave of relief flow over her as she realized that he actually came for her.

And not a moment too soon.

The man stepped out of the brush with Katsu over his shoulder and wearing the biggest smirk across his face.

 _"The name's Daisuke and I suggest you leave the girl alone or face my blade, demon."_

 ** _A/N:_** Please, don't forget to leave a review and let me know what you think. All comments are welcomed!


	9. Chapter 9

**Two choices I have**

 **I must pick one**

 **Instead of picking,**

 **I choose to run.**

 **I can not pick,**

 **I can not choose.**

 **I am afraid**

 **For the one I will lose**

 **I feel so selfish**

 **I am such a coward**

 **I wish I could choose,**

 **But I lack that kind of power.**

 **So I continue to ignore**

 **And turn my head away**

 **From the choice I have to make,**

 **For another day.**

 **~~ WaterLilly37 ~~**

 **A/N: Sorry for the really late update. I am trying to keep up with everything, including this story. So hope this chapter will make it up to all of you! And to all of my readers, thanks for taking the time to read this story and for the ones who leave a review, a really big thank you. I appreciate it. Now on to the story.**

 **Oh, and the first part will be done in both Inuyasha's and Daisuke's view. I prefer switching back and forth rather than rewrite the section in the other point of view. I also think it's important to know the thought process to both, not just one. And here we go!**

 **~ ~ Inuyasha & Daisuke ~ ~**

" _The name's Daisuke and I suggest you leave the girl alone or face my blade, demon."_

The hanyou finally took his gaze off from the young miko in front of him and glared in the direction of the blast. There stood a human with a fairly large blade resting on his shoulder. He wore a smirk that Inuyasha wanted nothing more than to wipe off his smug face.

" _Keh, was wondering when you would show up."_ This was the human that he had smelt many times before when searching for Kagome. He would recognize it anywhere at this point, and assumed that he may still be with her. But where were his demon companions?

" _Good. Now I won't feel so bad for kicking your ass considering you had plenty of warning."_ Daisuke continued to stare down the demon, trying to get as much information on him as possible. He noticed the claws and the teeth, along with the pointed ears, so it was safe to assume he was some sort of dog demon. He also took notice of the sheath strapped to the demon's left side. So he also had a weapon.

" _Listen, I'm not here to play around in your stupid human games so hand over the girl before I tear you into shreds."_ Inuyasha started to crack his knuckles as he began to take a step or two closer. He had faced many humans in his life time and knew not to underestimate them. But this one seemed really reliant on his weapon which meant if he knocked that out of his hand, he'd be rendered useless.

Katsu started to glow a soft white color as Daisuke started to smile.

" _Ahh, so you're not even a full blooded demon, are you dog boy?"_ The hunter questioned mockingly. _"Just a warning, I have killed many demons in my time, so a half demon like you should be no problem!"_

 _"Keh, we'll see about that!"_

Daisuke swung his sword as another blast of energy was sent into the hanyou's direction. Inuyasha easily dodged the attack and made a jump attack at the hunter, claws out. Daisuke just as easily dodge as he swung his sword where Inuyasha stood.

Inuyasha dodged again. He was surprised that this human could manage to have such speed with such a large sword. Even with Tetsaiga, he wouldn't be able to swing as fast as this hunter could.

" _Are we done?"_ The hunter asked, sword still in hand as he watched the hanyou stare at him from a few feet away.

" _Keh, as if. I'm just getting started."_ Inuyasha made another leap. Daisuke again, swung his sword at the half demon, but again he missed. This time, however, Inuyasha stayed close to the hunter and continued to dodge attack after attack, hoping to tire the human hunter out. In between each swing of the sword, Inuyasha would make an attempt with his claws to strike the hunter. Each time, the hunter was too fast and managed to pull away just in time.

The close combat seemed to go on for ages, nobody seeming to land a hit. By this time, Daisuke was getting sick of the back and forth and decided to turn it up a notch. He swung at the hanyou, and again the hanyou dodged, but this time Daisuke anticipated where the hanyou would land and made a kick which hit the hanyou on his right side. This didn't seem to faze him much.

" _Keh, do you really think something as stupid as that will stop me?"_ The hanyou leaped forward from the ground and started to attack the hunter's sword. Each swipe sent sparks flying everywhere as Katsu took every hit from the half demon's attacks. Daisuke could feel himself being pushed back from the sheer force of the swipes. He noticed the hanyou start to smile.

" _Don't get too cocky,"_ the hunter blurted, _"I'm not going to lose to the likes of you!"_

Just then, Katsu began to glow a really bright white and before Inuyasha had time to react, he was blasted off of his feet and landed a few feet away from the hunter. He stood back up and he wiped the dirt from his face.

What just happened?

As the dust cleared, he noticed a small barrier was placed around the hunter, shielding him in a small bubble. This would make it harder for him to get close which meant his first plan of tiring the human out with close range attacks was impossible. Especially if he could erect a barrier at any time and send him flying. Well, time for a new plan!

" _Keh, guess we're gonna have to play the hard way. Don't say I didn't warn you."_ The hanyou grabbed his sword from his sheath and held the transformed Tetsaiga in front of him.

" _Hmm, so it seems you are finally getting serious."_ Daisuke stated. He knew the hanyou was just toying with him before. Now he was hoping that this fight would actually turn serious and allow him to end it soon. He knew with his barrier up, the hanyou wouldn't be able to touch him which gave him the upper hand. However, he still needed a way to strike the hanyou and who knows what his sword could do.

" _Yeah, figured I should even the odds a little bit."_ And before Daisuke could even prepare a plan of attack, he noticed the sword that the hanyou was holding grow a bright red. _"Now about that barrier…"_ and the hanyou leapt at him.

Daisuke held Katsu out in front of him, putting as much power into the barrier as possible hoping to send the hanyou flying. Instead, the sword made contact with his barrier and seemed to be cutting right through it.

Before the hunter had a chance to counter, the barrier was destroyed and the blast from it sent Daisuke flying into a nearby tree. He looked up and smiled at the hanyou.

" _Nice trick."_ He grunted. _"Guess I couldn't expect to win that easily."_ He stood back up and held Katsu out as the sword started to glow once again. _"Ok, enough with this. It's time to finish what we started."_ Daisuke started running towards the hanyou and swung.

Inuyasha used Tetsaiga to block the human's attack, causing sparks to fly from both swords. Each in turn was pushing forward with all their might, trying to send the other one flying. Daisuke, making a quick decision, eased up his end a little bit, forcing the hanyou to bear down on him even more.

" _Your strength is no match to a demon's-"_ But before he had time to finish, Daisuke quickly withdrew to the right causing Inuyasha to stumble forward. In that instant, Daisuke slammed his elbow in the middle of Inuyasha's back, causing him to hit the ground. Without a second though, he took Katsu and made a swinging motion. Inuyasha quickly rolled out of the way and stood back up on his feet. The two were staring at each other, not one willing to back down.

Daisuke made a swing with Katsu, sending a blast of energy towards the hanyou, and in turn Inuyasha swung Tetsaiga screaming wind scar. Both blasts met in the middle sending a large gust of wind, dust and debris from trees and nearby scrubs flying in all directions.

The young miko took cover behind some trees as the blast nearly took her off her feet. She didn't know how much longer this battle was going to be but by the looks of things, she knew that both were evenly matched and that neither was going to give up.

By the time the dust cleared, Kagome looked in the direction of the two and noticed sparks flying with every hit they landed with their swords.

" _You're really starting to piss me off!"_ the hanyou spat, as he placed Tetsaiga in front of him, frustration clearly showing on his face. Daisuke, who held Katsu front of him, also seemed annoyed by the hanyou.

Inuyasha made another leap towards the hunter and again, Tetsaiga met with Katsu as both swords tried desperately to overcome the other. But this time, Inuyasha seemed to be winning as Daisuke was being pushed backwards.

" _Damnit!"_ the hunter yelled internally. He knew he was started to get worn out. Unlike a demon or half demon, Daisuke was still just a human and his body could only handle so much before he started to slow down. He had to win this fight and fast. The longer this took, the slower he would become and he knew he would be finished by that point.

That's when he had an idea. He continued to let the hanyou push him further and further as the hunter's heels dug deeper and deeper into the dirt.

" _Keh, getting tired already?"_ The hanyou teased as he put even more strength into his blade causing Daisuke to sink down to one knee. Inuyasha noticed the difference in strength and knew that the hunter was getting tired. If he could continue to hack away at the human, his body would eventually get too tired and he would have a sure victory.

He wasn't about to let this human take Kagome away from him again. He'd be damned if she left his view anymore!

Daisuke continued to struggle with the weight of the hanyou's blade. He had to act fast. There was no way that he was going to let this hanyou take Kaori and do god knows what to her. He would rather face death a hundred times. He was not going to have her blood on his conscious.

Inuyasha took one hand off from Tetsaiga and with claws out, took a swing at the hunter's face. Daisuke tried to move but the tip of the hanyou's claws managed to graze the hunter's face. Daisuke backed away and lowered his face into his hands. Inuyasha could smell the blood from where he stood.

Daisuke was on both knees holding his face, not bothering to look at the hanyou. He could feel the blood slower drip onto his hands. Though it stung, he knew the cuts weren't deep.

" _Any last words?"_ the hanyou snorted before closing the gap between hunter and half demon. Daisuke didn't say anything but slowly moved his hand towards the hilt of this sword which lay beside him on the ground. Inuyasha all but noticed and kicked the sword away.

" _Nice try."_ The hanyou raised his sword, but just as he was about to swing, something –or someone - blocked his way.

The young miko stood in front of the hunter with her arms stretched out as if trying to protect him. She glared at the hanyou as if challenging him to make the final swing.

" _What are you doing?!"_ The hanyou cried out, as he lowered Tetsaiga and stood in disbelief that Kagome would protect this low life hunter.

" _I won't let you hurt him anymore!"_ Her voice was shaky but she continued to hold her ground. Inuyasha gritted his teeth as he watched the woman he loved try to protect another man. This not only angered him, but he also felt hurt over her actions.

" _Move."_

" _I won't!"_

" _I said move!"_

" _You'll have to cut me down with him!"_ Inuyasha took a few steps forward. He had no intentions on cutting Kagome down along with that human hunter. If he had to, he would take her by force and leave the hunter wounded and alone in the forest. Besides, he seemed like someone who could do well on his own.

" _I didn't want to have to do this…"_ As the hanyou neared the young miko, he could feel her tense up as if ready to embrace for the hit.

Just then, Daisuke quickly stood up and pushed Kagome off to the side. She landed on the ground with a thud as the hunter threw a black powder in the direction of the hanyou.

" _Why you..!"_ Inuyasha yelled, as he made a swipe at the hunter. But instead of moving forward and making contact with the hunter's body with his claws, the hanyou landed on his knees. His vision began to blur as his senses were starting to fail him. _"What the…?"_

" _Like any other demon, you are also weak against certain poisons."_ The hunter smiled, leaning over the hanyou. _"Don't worry, this won't kill you. But it may leave you defenseless and immobile for a short period of time. Plenty of time for the young lady and I to take our leave. But I would be careful. The woods at night are no place for a hanyou… especially one that can't fight."_ Inuyasha started to swear under his breath as he tried to force his eyes to see clear and his strength to return to his body.

Kagome got up from where she was lying and made her way to the hunter.

" _Daisuke, are you ok?!"_ The hunter turned to face her as she noticed three claw marks almost three inches long place along his right cheek. One look and Daisuke could tell that the young miko was beside herself with worry over his wounds.

" _Don't cry over this. It's not even that deep."_ He began to walk over to his sword and pick it up, all but keeping a close eye on the hanyou making sure that the poison was indeed doing its job. He placed Katsu on his back and turned to face Kaori.

" _Let's go."_

" _Damnit! I won't let you take her!"_ Kagome watched as the hanyou forced himself to stand and stare in the direction of where Daisuke was. He could tell that the hanyou was still struggling with the effects of the poison, but he was generally surprised that he could stand. This was one of Daisuke's most powerful poisons. It left most demons paralyzed for three days, which meant this hanyou should be out for about a week. And yet...

" _I….won't…let…you…take…her…"_ The hanyou struggled to take a step forward, but failed as he fell back down to the ground. Daisuke just shook his head. He had to give the hanyou credit, he was a stubborn one, but very stupid as well.

" _Give it up already. You can barely stand, let alone fight."_ But the hanyou continued to get up and make his way towards Daisuke. He was shaking and unable to hold his sword properly. Tetsaiga ended up transforming back to its rusty state and hitting the ground with a thud.

" _I said give her back!"_ Kagome was confused as to why this half demon was still trying to take her away even after he clearly lost the battle. Was she that important to him?

" _Stubborn fool…"_ Daisuke walked over to the hanyou and with one good hit with his fist, forced the hanyou to fall down on the ground. He turned to face Kaori. _"Let's get out of here before he decides that he can get up again."_

 **~ ~ Kagome/Kaori ~ ~**

Kagome nodded at the hunter as she gave the hanyou one last look. She could tell he was still trying to get up and this scared her. Why would this hanyou be fighting so hard to take her away? Did he know something she didn't? And why was the fact of seeing him hurting there on the ground seem to cause her to want to run over and help him?

She shook the feeling away and turned to face the hunter.

" _You're right, let's go."_

Just then, something huge flew at the direction of the hunter causing the hunter to jump out of the way and hit the ground only feet away from the attack. Dust was everywhere in the air, causing Kagome to be blind as to what was going on.

" _Daisuke!"_ she screamed.

" _Don't move!"_ she heard him holler back as she saw the white glow from Katsu through the thick cloud of dust. She did as she was told, though her heart started to race once again.

Could the hanyou have attacked again? But he could barely stand just moments again and it didn't seem to come from his direction…

As the dust began to settle, she heard a large thud on the ground beside her. She turned to see a very large shadow walk towards her. She wanted to grab her bow and shout to Daisuke but she couldn't move. Fear had taken over.

Finally, she could make out the large figure coming towards her. It was a large demon feline with two large fangs and white bushy fur. Upon the feline sat two other people who, to Kagome, looked like humans. One was female wearing body armor with her hair tied back in a ponytail. The other was a male and looked to be a sort of monk.

" _Inuyasha!"_ The young female cried as she ran towards the hanyou. _"What happened to you?!"_ The monk descended from the feline as well but faced the young miko and the human hunter. In his hand he held a golden staff of some sort.

" _Keh, nothing I can't handle."_ The hanyou replied as he tried to stand up again. _"Just make sure that damn hunter doesn't get away."_

The young female turned her attention to the hunter as she walked over to the large boomerang shaped weapon which was lying on the ground. Daisuke held Katsu up which caused the large feline demon to growl.

" _I wouldn't do that if I were you"_ the monk warned. Daisuke didn't know what to make of this, just as much as Kagome didn't know.

Why were humans helping this hanyou out? Weren't demons and humans enemies?

" _Listen, I don't want to pick a fight with any of you. Just let me and the girl go and we won't cause you any harm."_ Daisuke finally said, breaking the silence between them. He raised Katsu up and placed it on his shoulder. Kagome knew that he didn't want to fight any humans, it wasn't his style. Besides, he could probably easily take them on. But her? What was she supposed to do?

" _No need to fight. We're not looking for any blood shed either. What we do want to do is talk though, especially regarding the young maiden in your care."_ The monk replied, waving his hands in a friendly gesture and smiling.

" _Sure, talk. That's what your little friend there tried to pull only moments ago."_ Daisuke snorted, clearly not buying what the monk had to say.

" _You mean Inuyasha? Well, he is just plain hard to get along with anyways. We can't even get along with him most days."_

" _What did you say monk!?"_ spat the hanyou, clearly still struggling with the poison as he leaned across the tree trying to steady himself.

" _See what I mean?"_

Kagome was even more confused. These humans seem friendly enough, but it still didn't answer what they wanted from them or why the hanyou was after her.

" _What do you want with me?"_ She was just as shocked as the others when she realized that it was her voice that demanded an answer from the group.

" _Ahh, it's just like Kikyo said. You don't recognize us, do you?"_ Asked the woman who slowly made her way to Kagome. Her weapon was now securely on her back and she didn't look like she was going to try and harm her.

Recognize them? Did she know them?

" _I'm sorry, but do I know you people?"_

Just then, Kagome felt something crawl up her back and onto her left shoulder.

" _What are you guys talking about? She'd never forget us, right Kagome?"_

She stared into the eyes of the little demon resting on her shoulder. Of course she had no idea who this demon was, but he seemed so small, almost child-like that she didn't see the thing as any sort of threat.

" _Wait, what did you just call her?"_ Daisuke was now standing beside Kagome as he bent down a little until he was face to face with the little fox demon.

" _AHHH!"_ The little fox demon cried as he jumped down into Kagome's arms. Kagome raised the little one up and smiled at him.

" _Don't worry, he won't hurt you."_ She reassured. _"But he does ask a valid question. What did you call me?"_

" _Kagome, that's your name. You do remember your name, don't you?"_ The young miko lowered the young demon to the ground and stood back up.

" _Kagome..."_ The young miko echoed, tasting the words of her own name for the first time in a month. It seemed oddly strange but familiar to her. _"My name is… Kagome…."_

Daisuke continued to look at the woman, half expecting her memory to just somehow all come back and see the girl jump up and down over the fact that she remembered who she was. But nothing like that happened.

Instead, the girl seemed even more confused.

" _It has been some time since you left us. I don't expect this problem to just up and disappear, but I want you to know something. We are your friends Kagome. We came to rescue you when we heard that Naraku had plans on using your powers. Even this doofus over here was worried sick over you."_ The monk said, pointing to the hanyou who was now sitting by the tree drinking water that Kilala had brought him from the bags the group was carrying.

" _You're…my…friends?"_ She slowly responded. The two humans nodded with the fox kutsune jumping up and down with a smile.

" _Wait just a bloody second! You can't just come here expecting us to believe what you're telling us is true! For all we know, that hanyou over there could have you guys under some sort of spell! Or you all could be working for Naraku! What makes you think that we're just going to go ahead with your story?!"_ Daisuke interrupted, clearly angered by the whole ordeal. He turned his attention back to Kagome.

" _Do you want to take your chances with these people!? Listen, it could be a trap. We don't know anything about them."_

" _And I don't know anything about me!"_ The young miko yelled back. _"Listen, I don't know if what they are saying is true, but what if they are my friends? What if they can help me get my memory back?"_

" _And what if you end up dead? Or sent right into Naraku's hands…"_

" _HEY!"_ The young fox kitsune chimed in, clearly mad that the human hunter even suggested such a thing. _"We would never do such a thing to Kagome!"_

" _Hey now Shippo, calm down. The hunter has a point."_ The monk said. _"If it makes you feel any better, I offer an extended hand to you in joining us in returning Kagome's memory back to her. That way, if we do anything you deem dangerous or suspicious, you can jump right on in and save the day. I'm sure you can handle two humans, a child demon, and one half demon. Am I right hunter?"_

Daisuke scoffed at the monk's little jab but turned his attention back to Kagome.

" _You can offer whatever the hell you want to monk, but it's ultimately her decision."_ He walked over to Kagome and grabbed her hand and walked to the edge of the forest. _"Give us a few. We need to discuss our next move. I'm sure you can respect our privacy, right?"_ The monk and the demon slayer both nodded.

" _Fine by us."_

" _What are you doing?! Don't let them go!?"_ The hanyou said as he pushed Kilala away and struggled to walk a few feet before stopping and staring at the pair. _"We came to bring Kagome home, not hand her to this idiot!"_

Daisuke could feel his hands start to form into fists, but Kagome grabbed his arm and he felt all anger leaving his body. She really did cast a spell on him lately.

" _And how did forcing them to come with us work out?"_ The monk asked sarcastically. _"The hunter is right. It is ultimately Kagome's choice. She should decide whether to take our word and come with us, or leave with the hunter."_

As Inuyasha started to counter their logic, Daisuke grabbed Kagome's arm and walked further into the forest, out of ear shot of the rest of the group. That's when Daisuke turned around and faced Kagome, leaving only inches separating them. Kagome started to go bright red at the proximity of her companion.

" _Listen, no pressure. But do what you feel is right, ok? I won't stop you if you want to go with them, but I won't let them take you either. No matter what you choose, I will be there for you. I won't let you do any of this alone. Not until you get your memory back."_

" _I want to join them. At least for a little while, see if they really can help me with my memories. Besides, I feel somewhat strange around them."_ She gave the hunter a little smile. She didn't want to let him that how she had felt the urge to help the hanyou out during their confrontation. Besides, she wasn't lying. She did feel like these people were telling the truth and that she had some sort of connection with them.

Who would have guessed that the young miko they were searching for in order to regain her memories would end up being her? That is, if what the humans and demons spoke had any truth in what they said.

The young demon hunter smiled down at her and patted her head. _"I'm happy that I found you. For a second, I was pretty sure I was going to lose you to some demon. Do you know how worried you made me?!"_

Kagome could feel the tears well up in her eyes. So he did care about her. Maybe not as strong as she felt for him, but knowing that he at least cared was enough for her. She gave the hunter a small smile as a tear trickled down her face.

" _Wait, why are you crying?"_ He asked, confused but she quickly wiped them away with her sleeve.

The young miko ran into the arms of the demon hunter and hugged him tightly.

" _I was afraid you only saw me as a burden and that my sudden outbursts annoyed you. I wasn't even sure if you would come and find me."_ She sniffed and she buried her head deeper into the cloth of Daisuke's outfit. She could feel him relax as he tightened his grip around her.

" _Dummy, like I was going to leave you behind."_

" _And now all this…I don't even know what to think anymore."_

" _Well then, don't. Just relax. Do what your gut instinct tells you to do. It has never failed you before. Besides, it even got me out of a jam once or twice."_ She smiled at this.

" _Listen,"_ Daisuke calmly said, keeping his arms wrapped around the young miko and resting his head on hers. _"I'm sorry about earlier. You know, the stupid comments I made. It's just…well… I didn't want to admit that I was staring at…well…you. You don't have an awkward body type. In fact, you're beautiful and I'm sorry for saying anything different."_

Kagome could feel Daisuke stiffen as he talked about their last fight and how she stormed off upset over the things he said.

" _It's ok,"_ She replied. _"I'm over it. I'm just glad that it's all over with and that you found me."_

" _You're right, no more fighting?"_

" _No more fighting."_ Kagome repeated.

" _We'll make the best of the little time we have left."_

Kagome stiffened as she pushed the hunter away and glared at him, hard. _"What do you mean with the little time we have left? Aren't you staying by my side? You said you'd be there for me and now you're talking about leaving! Which is it!?"_ She could feel her voice getting louder as her control over her anger started to slip.

" _Hey now, I will be by your side for as long as you want me there. I will NEVER leave you, got it? But who's to say you'll still want me around when you get your memories back? Who's to say that you'll even need me around?"_

" _But I'll still be me. I'm still the Kaori you were travelling with. It's just that…my name…is different…"_ She could feel her chest tighten over the fact that with her new identity, things might change between them. _"I won't ever want you to leave…"_

" _I know,"_ Daisuke drew her back to him and hugged her tightly. _"I'm sorry for upsetting you. So much for no more fighting, huh? I screwed that up real quick."_

Kagome went back to hugging into the demon huunter. Did she really want to get her memory back after she finally started to understand some of his feelings for her? Did she want to go back to how she was, even if she couldn't recall any of it? If it meant losing Daisuke, maybe she would just stay the way she was.

" _Yeah, who would have guessed that you would be the almighty priestess, Kagome. Guess I can start calling you that instead."_ He calmly said, trying to change the subject. _"Though I am going to miss my little Kaori, the professional demon hunter."_

" _I'm never going away. I promise. We'll be together… we have to be. I won't accept any other way."_ She said, trying to convince herself over anyone else.

Just then, she felt Daisuke rest his lips on her forehead and then calmly pushed her away from him. _"Let's get going, we don't want to keep them waiting too long. Besides, we need to figure out how much they know."_

Kagome watched as Daisuke slowly started to make his way back to the group. A single tear left Kagome's cheek as she cursed on her weakness. Surely she was much stronger as Kagome than Kaori, but she couldn't be sure.

She couldn't be sure of anything anymore.


	10. Chapter 10

**Heart is aching,**

 **Mind is screaming.**

 **Feeling numb,**

 **No one's listening.**

 **Pulled one way**

 **Pushed the other**

 **Feeling trapped**

 **About to smother**

 **Greedy hearts**

 **For what has been**

 **In this game**

 **No one wins.**

 **~~ WaterLilly37 ~~**

 **A/N: Hey everyone. I am back again! Sorry for the HUGE gap in updates. Hoping to continue this story after looking it over and fixing up every chapter. So yes, spelling mistakes (hopefully all of them) have been fixed to make the story more appealing. Now, onwards to the story!**

 **~ ~ Kagome ~ ~**

The awkwardness was suffocating, that much was apparent. No one spoke a word.

Kagome sat down by the fire the group had made shortly after she and Daisuke returned from their conversation from the forest. They had decided to join the group in order to find out more information, or at least find out the truth.

The monk was prepping tonight's supper as he stirred a pot on top of the fire. From the smell of it, Kagome figured it was some sort of stew. The young female hunter and her feline companion were out fishing claiming that since they had more mouths to feed, she felt as if she should add more. The little fox kutsune was off playing somewhere, though he was always within sight. Daisuke, still not trusting of the group, decided he wanted to work on his sword. He leaned against a tree furthest from the rest of them, but close enough that he could keep Kagome within his sights if any of them tried to do anything funny.

As for the white haired hanyou…

Kagome tried to ignore the feeling of him watching her ever since she returned from the forest after her conversation with Daisuke. There he was, lying on a branch of a tree overlooking the campsite, golden eyes transfixed on her. Every so often, she would peer over in his direction, and he would grumble than look the other way acting as if SHE was the problem.

" _Don't mind him,"_ The monk chimed in, sensing Kagome's distress over the hanyou. _"He's always like that. Just know that he means well."_

Though the monk tried, it didn't make her feel any better.

" _Here, you must have had a rough day."_ The monk handed Kagome a small cup of tea that seemed to be freshly made. _"Just try to relax, okay? We're your friends. We're not going to do anything to you."_

" _Miroku, was it? "_ Kagome asked.

" _Correct."_

" _You keep saying that."_ The young raven haired girl cradled the cup of tea in her hands and looked the monk in the eyes. _"Friends. But even still, I don't feel as if we have any connection whatsoever."_

" _Well, I guess that can't be helped after all."_ Miroku signed, as he laid the cover onto the pot and proceeded to let the stew cook. He sat across from the young maiden as he too, looked at her. _"Your memory was taken after all. How could one recall on anything they no longer have?"_

" _Taken?"_ Kagome was shocked. She figured she was just suffering from some sort of amnesia. It had never crossed her mind that her memory was intentionally taken away from her _. "By who?"_

" _I'm assuming Eiji, one of the demon twins we have encountered. It seems that he has the power to do so."_

Eiji? Kagome was unsure of who the monk was referring to, but there was another question burning in her mind she deemed more important. _"But why? What good are my memories?"_

" _They're not,"_ came a voice that still seemed to shake her to the core. _"They just needed them gone."_

The hanyou, who had been silent up until this point, was now leaning his back against a tree trunk. His golden eyes continued to watch Kagome.

" _That doesn't make any sense."_

" _It makes plenty of sense. They want you to forget everything so they could fill your heads with lies. Much like that human hunter has probably been doing this whole damn time."_

Clearly he was still annoyed from the battle he had beforehand with Daisuke.

" _Daisuke has nothing to do with this. He has done nothing but help me this whole time. As I see it, it's you guys I should be worried about with filling my head up with lies."_

" _What are you talking about, dummy!?"_ Inuyasha pushed himself off the tree he was leaning on and slowly started walking towards her, arms in the air. _"We're the ones trying to protect you!"_

" _Oh really? Could have fooled me."_ The raven haired girl turned her head away from the hanyou, clearly upset with how the conversation had turned, and faced the monk. _"I am done for tonight. I think I will go eat my supper alone if you don't mind."_

" _Sure,"_ Miroku replied, though he was clearly disappointed that the atmosphere turned sour so quickly.

" _Keh, you have no idea the danger you are in, do you?"_ The hanyou barked at her.

" _And how am I suppose to know, moron? I don't have any memories!"_ Kagome shot back, turning to face the hanyou once again.

" _That's why I am saying you should let us protect you so we can keep you away from the demons and retrieve your memory!"_

" _Ah, like you protected her from getting her memories stolen in the first place?"_

Both the hanyou and the young girl stopped their bickering and turned their attention to the human hunter who had all but enough of the little show.

" _What did you say!?"_ Inuyasha pushed his sleeves up as he walked towards the hunter, golden eyes glaring with an anger that would send a shiver up the spine of any demon.

" _You heard me! Don't play stupid. If she was truly safe with you, she wouldn't be in his mess from the start."_ Daisuke, though clearly annoyed, looked cool and collected as he stared down the hanyou, arms crossed against his chest.

" _Cocky little –"_

" _Now you two, we're not here to fight."_ Miroku, by now, jumped between the two, waving his hands in a friendly gesture. _"I get it, you both want to protect Kagome –"_

" _And I will be the one to do it. We don't need his help, or yours. Got it monk?"_ Daisuke interrupted. _"We're just here for information and whether or not you're telling the truth. And if I find out you're lying-"_

" _We should be saying that to you!"_ Inuyasha retorted. _"You're the enemy."_

Kagome could feel her own blood pressure rising. She wanted information just as much as Daisuke, but this seemed to have taken a turn for the worse. She doubted that they would be able to get any more from them at this point.

" _Then answer me damnit. If you're going to protect her, then why was her memories taken in the first place? Where were YOU when she was in danger?"_ Daisuke's voice was shaking, as if Kagome could feel the anger finally spilling over. How long was he holding that in?

Kagome expected a smart remark from the hanyou, but instead she didn't hear anything. The hanyou, hands by his sides clutched in two hard fists, took his gaze from the hunter and stared down at the ground. Was that hurt in his eyes, or guilt?

" _You don't know anything about me, hunter."_ Inuyasha replied, before he turned away and ran off into the trees.

" _Dog with his tail between his legs."_ Scoffed Daisuke, as he turned and faced Kagome. _"Stay away from him. I trust him the least."_

Kagome nodded, as she quickly grabbed some supper from the pot and made her way towards the spot Daisuke had claimed for his own in the camp.

Miroku signed. This was not how he wanted things to go down.

Daisuke soon joined Kagome at his spot and he sat back down, rag in hand, and continue to work on Katsu. That's when she noticed Daisuke didn't bother grabbing any food Miroku had prepared.

" _Hey, aren't you going to eat anything?"_

" _I already ate."_ The hunter answered, coldly.

" _Oh"_ she replied. He was upset.

" _You really don't like them, do you?"_

" _I don't like anyone I can't trust, so I guess you can say I don't like anybody. Well, besides you."_

Kagome smiled at his words, but that still didn't fix their problem.

" _Listen, I know this is probably upsetting you but I need to find out how much they know. It seems as if they hold key pieces of information regarding my memory loss."_

Daisuke signed. _"I know that. It's just…I find it hard to be buddy buddy with these people when they let this happen to you in the first place. Friends wouldn't let friends suffer like this."_

" _It's not that bad, believe me. If it didn't happen, I wouldn't have met you."_

" _True,"_ The demon hunter responded, his tone going from cold back to its original sound. _"But maybe meeting me was not so much a good thing either."_

Kagome was taken back by this response. _"What do you mean?"_

" _I'm not sure if I have the strength to protect you from those demons. Don't get me wrong, I will do whatever it takes to make sure they don't get you, but the chance is always there that I will fail."_

Kagome could see the pain in the hunter's eyes. This was so unlike him. What happened to the tough guy she had travelled with in the past month?

" _I am confused. Where is this coming from? Not too long ago, you were duking it out with puppy ears that you would be the one to protect me since you doubt he could. So why now all of a sudden, you think that you can't?"_

Daisuke turned to face the woman, who he could see was hurting just as much as he was, if not more. He was never one with words.

" _Kaori…I mean Kagome, listen. I'm not as good as you think I am. Do you ever wonder why I travel alone? Why I don't like having people tag along with me? Why I was so intent on having you go instead of journeying with me?"_

Kagome shook her head. _"I didn't get the details, no. But I assumed from our past conversations that you have a painful past."_ She noticed Daisuke wince as her words trigger what she figured was a very painful memory. _"Daisuke, you have helped me more than I will ever be able to repay you for. Please, if I can then let me help you."_

The hunter shook his head apologetically.

" _Don't worry about it Kagome. It's my burden, not yours. Besides, you got your own problems to solve."_

Kagome felt a little disheartened that Daisuke refused to open up to her, but decided to drop it. She didn't want to push him in a direction he was not ready to go in.

" _You're right. I'm sorry. I won't ask about it anymore."_

Daisuke gave her a small laugh as he nudged her in the arm. _"Cheer up already."_

" _Yeah, okay."_

 **~ ~ X ~ ~**

Kagome finished washing the dishes she used in a nearby river and made her way back to camp. Daisuke was leaning against a tree, eyes closed, assumingly asleep. Miroku was now talking to Sango with the little fox kutsune sleeping upon the woman's lap. Kilala was beside Sango, resting in her smallest form, watching the fire crackle.

" _Ah Kagome, I hope you are feeling better. "_ Miroku chimed in with a smile upon his face.

" _I am, thank you."_ She responded, placing the clean dishes to the side. She took a quick glance around. No hanyou. _"May I ask you something?"_

" _Sure,"_ replied the monk. _"What would you like to know?"_

" _That half demon, Inuyasha was his name?"_ Both Sango and Miroku nodded in unison. _"Why does he keep staring at me? Did I do something to him?"_

Miroku let a soft sign out. _"How should I put it…"_

" _Inuyasha and you are very close Kagome."_ Sango interrupted. _"More so than you'll ever know. That's why he is acting out the way he is. He cares about you, a lot, and doesn't know how to properly express it. It has been a problem of his since the moment you two met I am certain."_

" _Oh."_ For some reason, this seemed odd to the miko. A hanyou and a human, close? The only things she remembered about demons was that they were trying to kill her or kidnap her. _"Then, could you explain to me how we met? What's my relationship with him?"_

" _Well, as far as we were told, you awoken Inuyasha from a spell that bonded him to a tree a long time ago. Ever sense then, you've been together collecting shards of the shikon jewel."_ Miroku answered, sipping some tea from a mug he held.

" _Collecting shards? Saved him? Why would I do that? He's a demon."_ It felt as if every time she spoke with these people, she was even more confused.

" _Half demon actually"_ Miroku joked. _"But honestly, the Kagome we know we always put herself on the line to save others, demon or not."_

" _Wow, I seem so heroic"_ she replied sarcastically. It brought back the conversation with Daisuke not too long ago about the Great Savior and Priestess Kagome in which she was so envious of. How ironic.

" _Well, I guess you can say that."_ Sango added. _"But Kagome was much more than that. I'm sure you'll come to realize that when you regain your memories."_

" _Yeah, if that ever happens."_ Kagome was starting to have her doubts if she would ever remember. _"Last question, my relationship with the half demon… it wasn't… you know… romantic… was it?"_

Miroku spit out his tea and he began to cough, hitting his chest trying to get fresh air into his lungs. Sango turned red as she started to stammer, _"Um ah… about that… ahh, Miroku, I think it's your turn to answer some questions."_ And with that, she got up with the little fox kutsune in her arms and headed toward the bed rolls. Kilala quickly followed.

" _What? Are you implying that we…we were…together?!"_ Kagome could NOT believe this. No way was she involved with that selfish, and highly dangerous, hanyou. This was some sort of trick.

" _To be honest, I'm not the one who should be answering this. Like Sango, we may imply there was something going on between you two, but the only ones who would know for certain are you and Inuyasha."_ Kagome looked at the monk with disbelief, before she placed her hands upon her knees and rested her head upon her hands.

" _I don't want to hear anymore."_ Clearly this piece of information was very upsetting.

" _I know you probably don't want to hear this, but why don't you try talking to Inuyasha? He can answer a lot more of your questions regarding your relationship with him. It might even be beneficial in order for you to get along while we journey together."_

" _Like I would want to talk to him."_ Kagome pouted. She knew she was being childish about the situation, but she didn't want to hear about her undying "love" for this hanyou.

" _Suit yourself. But I have a strong belief that in order for you to regain your memories, you have to learn a little more about yourself. Your back story, your connections, your friends and family, your love interests,"_ Kagome shuddered when the monk said the last part, " _Basically,_ y _our life as Kagome Higurashi."_

 **~ ~ X ~ ~**

She couldn't believe she was actually doing this. She was actually going to take the monk's advice. Someone she met only hours before, and listening to his words. Clearly she was crazy.

But why was he making this harder by being so difficult to find?

And Daisuke? He was going to be furious when he awakens only to find out she was missing, and to top if all off, looking for the hanyou no less.

She was positive he headed in this direction, but then again, that was hours ago so who knows how far he could have travelled. Still, she continued through the brush trying to spy the white hair male lurking about. She was even checking the treetops, figuring he might be sleeping on a branch away from everyone. No sign of him anywhere.

She signed. It was no use. She stopped walking and started looking around for a clearing. Her legs were tired, and quite frankly, she was also mentally tired trying to process all this information she was given in such a short amount of time.

" _This was stupid."_ She said to herself out loud. _"He clearly went off by himself not wanting to be found."_ She leaned against a tree and slid down the trunk until her bottom hit the ground.

She then looked up to the sky. The sun was beginning to set. It was getting late and she was not going to be out here in the woods alone again. That didn't end so well for her the first time.

Just as she was calling it quits, Kagome heard a noise like something falling in the distance. She jumped and stared in the direction the sound came from. Was that another wild demon? Should she try running in the direction she came from or scream out for help? She had brought no weapons with her which she realized was very stupid on her part.

Then there was nothing.

She tried straining her hearing to make sure that whatever made the noise wasn't about to sneak up upon her. Nothing.

Maybe she imagined it.

She continued to listen.

That's when she heard something else. It sounded as if someone was talking, or more so yelling. It was quite a distance away. Could it be?

She started walking in the direction of the sound.

What felt like ages of fighting through bush and uneven ground, Kagome finally made her way to the source of the sound. In the middle of a clearing was a tree that was lying on the ground. From the looks of the bottom half, it had been knocked down by force rather than occurring naturally.

Kagome, not yet daring to walk out into the open, starting looking around for the source of the destruction. That's when she found him.

The hanyou.

He was standing about a yard away from the fallen tree, back onto her. She noticed his hands were balled into fists, arms hanging off to the side, and head low.

He was still clearly upset. The tree was the poor victim of that anger.

Just as Kagome was rethinking her idea of talking to the hanyou, a gust of wind started to blow her hair in the direction of him. Within seconds, the hanyou quickly turned around and made eye contact with the young miko. He had caught her scent.

Great. She couldn't back out now.

" _Oh hey,"_ Kagome started talking as she made her way into the clearing, awkwardly trying to strike up a conversation. _"Umm, so what are you doing all the way out here? Supper was hours ago you know."_

" _Kagome."_ The hanyou looked lost, as if he had no idea what to say to her or how to approach her. She felt a ping in her heart.

Pity. Kagome chalked it up to pity for the poor hanyou and nothing more.

The hanyou stayed where he was, just gazing at her with such a sad face.

" _Jeez, don't look so happy to see me."_ She joked, in hopes that it would lighten the mood even just for a little bit.

" _It's not because of you."_

" _Oh? Well I am glad then."_ What was she even doing here? It was so very awkward for her, she just wanted to disappear.

" _Listen, about before…"_ The hanyou made a few steps toward her.

" _No, stop!"_ She practically yelled. The hanyou stopped walking and looked at her. _"I mean, it's not your fault, ok? So yeah, don't beat yourself up over it."_ What was she even saying?

" _No, it is my fault! It's always my fault god dammit!"_ With that, Inuyasha turned away from Kagome. _"I don't blame you for what you did."_

" _For what I did? What are you talking about?"_

Inuyasha didn't answer her.

" _What do you know? What are you not telling me?"_ The awkwardness all but left her. Now she was starting to get mad. What was with people and holding back information from her? Anger was slipping into her voice.

" _Tell me!"_

" _I'm the reason that damn Eiji stole your memories! I am the reason you are suffering right now and don't remember any of us!"_ the hanyou screamed. He turned to face the miko again. Kagome could tell he was fighting an eternal battle that she knew nothing about. He was suffering just as much as she was. All anger dissipated.

" _The hunter was right about me. I couldn't protect you."_

Kagome didn't know what to say. Was he telling the truth? Was he the reason she was in this predicament?

" _But I will make it up to you, I swear it."_ He answered hands back into fists. _"I will return your memories; I will have you go back to normal."_

Kagome walked the rest of the distance that separated herself and the hanyou. She looked him dead in the eye.

" _Tell me everything. Please. From the very beginning."_


	11. Chapter 11

**Our love will never forget,**

 **Its existence will never fade.**

 **Our love will weather any storm,**

 **No need to be afraid.**

 **Our love is everlasting,**

 **So don't give up on it yet.**

 **Though I may not remember,**

 **Our love will never forget.**

 **~~ WaterLilly37 ~~**

A/N: Here is the next chapter. I am sorry ahead of time of any spelling/grammar mistakes. I reread my chapters, but sometimes I miss things, especially when I read the word I think I wrote instead of actually reading the word. Bad habit of mine. Anyway, let me know what you think! Reviews are welcomed, along with any advice!

 **~ ~ Inuyasha ~ ~**

" _Tell me everything. Please. From the very beginning."_

Inuyasha stood only feet away from his beloved miko, eyes locked onto each other. What was he going to tell her? How was he going to tell her? If anything, he was somewhat happy that she couldn't remember the pain he put her through. If only she could remember all of them without that pain.

" _I don't think I would have enough time to tell you everything. We've known each other for a long time now."_

The young woman seemed unsatisfied by this answer.

" _Well then, give me the short version."_

" _Keh, like I know how to do that!"_ The hanyou said, annoyed. He had known Kagome for well over a year now. How the heck was he going to summarize everything they've been through?

" _Can't you tell me anything? Like anything at all?"_

" _Why not ask Miroku, or Sango, or hell even Shippo could help you out. Why me?"_ Inuyasha looked away from Kagome, still unsure of how to face her. He felt tremendously guilty for what happened to her.

" _Ughh, why are you being so difficult? Don't you want me to remember who I am?"_ The young girl replied, clearly getting annoyed with him.

" _I do! It's just….ugh, I'm no good with words okay?! Just ask someone else."_ Inuyasha began walking towards the fallen tree.

" _Well, it was Miroku who sent me your way you know. He said you'd be able to help me learn about who I am."_

" _Well he was wrong."_

" _Why are you so stubborn? Just tell me!"_

" _I have nothing to tell you!"_

The young woman started to make her way to him. She was clearly not going to back down.

" _So you're okay if I stay like this, are you? No memory, free to do whatever I please. Even if it means leaving you and your human friends behind?"_

" _Keh, do whatever you want."_ Why did he just say that? That was the opposite of what he wanted to say. His hands clutched into fists once again.

This did not go unnoticed by the young miko, as a small smirk came across her face.

" _Fine. Don't tell me. I'll just head back to camp and let the others know you made up your mind. Daisuke should be please about the decision as well –"_ Inuyasha whipped around at the mention of the hunter's name, peering at the young miko waving goodbye to him and heading towards the direction she came from.

UGH!

" _Kagome wait! Don't go back."_

" _Oh?"_ Kagome turned around slowly, smiling at the half demon. _"Do you have something to say?"_

Was he even sure she lost her memory? By the looks of things, she was still acting like the Kagome he knew.. Gods, this woman!

The hanyou sat down on the ground, legs and arms crossed, eyes closed.

" _I warn you, I'm not good with words. So don't be all pissy if you don't get the answer you're looking for."_

Kagome smiled as she walked back to the hanyou and took a seat beside him. _"I'm sure I can make do."_

" _Keh."_

" _So let's see."_ The young woman pondered as she rested her arms on her knees, staring ahead. _"Let's start with how we met."_

" _You released the spell that bonded me to a tree. Next."_

" _Inuyasha."_ Kagome said sternly, giving the hanyou a glare.

" _What? It's the truth."_

" _Please, there must be more to it then that."_

" _Keh, didn't I just tell you not to get pissy with my answers?."_

The young girl signed. _"Fine. After I freed you, what happened? Why did I decide to travel with you?"_

" _Because you broke the shikon jewel with your stupid arrow. So now we are collecting all the pieces before Naraku gets his hands on them."_

Inuyasha looked over at the miko. It might not have been much, but she seemed to accept that answer. Not like he was going to give her a better one anyway.

" _So what's with the Shikon Jewel?"_

" _It's a powerful jewel that can grant the wishes of anyone who has it within their possession."_

" _And now we are collecting fragments of it."_

" _Keh, I already told you that."_ How much longer did he have to endure this? Then again, he was spending some time alone with her after all this time. He missed her and her company.

" _Very well. So I guess we met Miroku and the others on our travels?"_

" _Not by choice. They joined us for their own purposes, though our goals are the same. To stop Naraku."_

Inuyasha turned to see Kagome playing with a strand of her hair. It seemed as if something was on her mind.

" _Just say it already."_

Kagome signed as she turned to face the hanyou, leaving only about a foot of space between them.

" _I'm sorry, I mean I do want to know the answers to those questions but there is something I need to know more than anything else, and it has been bothering me for awhile."_

" _What is it?"_

Kagome signed. _"What is our relationship?"_

Inuyasha blinked at the young woman a few times. He instantly turned red in the face and turned around, back onto the woman.

" _How the hell am I suppose to know!? And what kind of question is that!?"_

" _Please!"_ The miko pleaded. _"I am trying my best to understand the way I was before I lost my memories. I want to learn about all of my connections and that includes you."_ Inuyasha could feel Kagome's eyes on his back.

What the heck was he suppose to say? Were they friends? Definitely more than friends. Lovers? His face turned red and his ears began to twitch. Definitely _NOT_ lovers.

So what was she to him? What was he to her?

" _Partners."_ He managed to blurt out. _"We are just partners, working on getting the jewel back to it's original form. That's all. Happy?"_ NO NO NO DAMNIT. Was he trying to sabotage himself?

" _I see,"_ Kagome answered, and the relief that came from her voice did not go unnoticed by the hanyou. He could feel a sinking feeling in his heart. _"So just partners."_

He was such an idiot.

" _Last question, I promise. Then I will return back to camp."_

" _Keh, about time. I am getting tired of this question and answer game."_

" _You mentioned before that it was because of you I lost my memories. Tell me, why do you say that?"_

Great. He wanted to avoid this topic at all costs. He would rather die than have to tell her the truth of how he hurt her by going after Kikyo again.

" _I…I messed up."_ He managed to say.

" _How?"_ So pushy.

" _I made you angry…maybe?...or sad… I don't know."_ Inuyasha was grasping at words. He didn't want to admit to himself that he was unsure exactly what she felt for lack of noticing her. At the time, he only had his mind on Kikyo. _"Either way, you ran off and that's when that damn bastard Eiji took your memories."_

Kagome nodded. _"So we had an argument? I got upset and ran off. Is that it?"_

Inuyasha closed his eyes again. _"I guess."_

More like I didn't take your feelings into account again. Inuyasha signed.

" _That makes sense."_ Kagome said, awkwardly smiling. She rubbed her hand through her hair. _"I tend to be a little hot headed at times, huh?"_ Thoughts of her arguments with Daisuke flooded through her head.

Why couldn't he tell her the truth dammit? He ran after another woman after promising countless times that he wouldn't. And Kagome, as caring and forgiving as she was, had taken all she could and ran off. It wasn't an argument. It was trampling over the heart of one woman for the purpose of seeing another.

" _Thanks Inuyasha. That's all for now."_ Kagome smiled as she started to walk the direction the campsite was located.

Inuyasha wanted to jump up and grab her, embrace her even, and beg for her to forgive him. Beg her to come back to him and leave that good for nothing hunter. Force them to go back to the way things were before he ran off to see Kikyo. He so desperately wanted his Kagome back!

" _Yeah."_ He said instead, watching as the woman he deeply cared for walk away from him.

Kagome stopped, turned around and gave the hanyou a smile.

" _Inuyasha, please don't beat yourself up over it, okay? It's alright. I mean, it was only a stupid argument. I forgive you."_

If only she knew.

And with that, Kagome disappeared the way she came.

 **~ ~ Kagome ~ ~**

Nothing could wipe the smile from her face. Though, she couldn't explain the pain she felt in her chest. Like having Inuyasha admit that they were nothing more than partners was indeed a bad thing.

Why was her body and mind so attracted to the opposite idea?

She finally reached the campsite, as she practically skipped the whole way there. That's when Kagome heard the commotion.

" _Tell me where the hell she went Monk, or you won't live to see another day."_ Oh no.

Kagome ran out into the opening as she witnessed Daisuke with Katsu pulled out, pointed towards Miroku and Sango. The female hunter, with the transformed Kilala, were battle ready. Miroku was, once again, waving his hands in front of him trying to calm the hunter down.

" _Listen, she's in no danger! Really. She's just in search of some answers."_

" _Kagome!"_ she heard the little fox kutsune cry as he ran towards her. _"The big mean hunter is threatening to kill us because he couldn't find you."_

Shippo's outburst caused the group of humans to turn around, eyeing the young miko who had returned.

" _Umm, hey everyone."_ She gave them a half-hearted smile.

" _Kagome!"_ the group, minus the hunter, said in unison as they made their way over to her.

Kagome made eye contact with Daisuke, who gave the young woman a glare before he turned his back on her and walked towards his place at camp.

He was pissed.

" _Kagome, did you find Inuyasha?"_

Kagome nodded trying not to let the stone size lump in her heart be noticeable to the others. Why was she always hurting him when all he did was care for her?

" _If you'll excuse me, I need to speak with Daisuke alone for awhile."_ Miroku, Sango, and Shippo nodded as they moved to the side to let the young woman through.

Daisuke was collecting his things and placing them in a bag which he carried with him at all times. Kagome tried to put a smile on her face as she walked up to the hunter.

" _So yeah…I'm back."_

" _I can see that."_ His voice was laced with acid as he didn't bother to turn and face the young woman.

Kagome wanted to so badly reach out and wrap her hands around him. Beg for his forgiveness for leaving him in the dark. _"Listen, I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I just had to find something out for myself –"_

" _With the half demon"_ Interrupted Daisuke.

" _\- and I am really sorry."_ She managed to finish, though she could feel her voice slowly giving away on her.

" _So you thought it would be smart to be alone with him after I told you I didn't trust him?"_ Daisuke spat, turning around to face the young miko.

" _He's not dangerous. He's, well, agitated at times and certainly terrible with his words.."_ Daisuke gave her a look that told her all too clearly that he didn't care. _"I know, I did the opposite of what you told me. But the reason I joined this group was to get answers from them, was it not? That means talking to them and asking them questions, even if you are there or not."_

" _So you decide to start off with the most dangerous one?"_ He glared. _"The half demon looked like the perfect one to start with, did he?"_

" _Inuyasha!"_ Kagome practically yelled out. She, too, glared at the hunter. _"His name is Inuyasha."_ Wait, did she just come to the hanyou's defense. It almost felt like a reflex more than a choice.

" _Well that's just perfect! WE are on a first name basis with –Inuyasha-"_ he said the hanyou's name with disgust, _"so I guess we are all buddy buddy now!"_ Kagome could feel her blood pressure rise. Why was he being like this? It wasn't like she ran off to BE with the hanyou. She only wanted information! That was the whole point she was here!

" _What is wrong with you!? He did nothing wrong! And you did nothing wrong to him! So what is with this make believe grudge you have against each other?"_

" _Make believe? Did you NOT witness the battle we had only hours ago? OR did you somehow forgotten about that too now?"_ Kagome could feel the sting of his words. Was he purposely trying to hurt her? She could feel herself boil over.

Kagome walked over to the hunter and pointed a finger in his face, flames dancing in her eyes. _"You are a jerk, you know that? You agreed to join me when I decided to tag along with this group to find out information and when I do, you get pissed at me! So the real question is, have YOU forgotten about the purpose of us being here!?"_

Daisuke scoffed as he turned his back to the priestess and bent back down to pack his things.

" _Well then, you and that peanut gallery over there will have nothing to worry about then. If you are so willing to ignore my warnings and do whatever you want, then go for it. I am done. I am leaving."_

Kagome tried to hold back the tears that were welling up in her eyes, anger and betrayal hitting her at full tilt. But she'd be damned if she let this hunter see her cry again. Why couldn't he understand the tug of war he was putting her through?

" _I hope you find your answers Kagome."_

The young miko clenched her hands into fists. _"Fine!"_ she barked. _"Go! See if I care!"_

Daisuke grabbed his bag and stood up. He put the bag over his shoulder as he gave the miko one last look before turning away.

" _And for YOUR information, I did find my answer. I came back to share it with you, but instead you are leaving me again after you promised to stay-"_ Tears started to fall from her face. She couldn't keep it in anymore. Why did they insist on hurting each other, over and over again. But more importantly, why did this pain feel so familiar? As if this wasn't a new feeling for her? As if old wounds were once again being ripped open.

" _I can't do this anymore!"_ And with that, Kagome turned around and heading towards the camp without a glance back.

 **~ ~ Daisuke ~ ~**

Who cares? He should be happy. Things were finally going back to how they were suppose to be. Him, Katsu, and a whole world to reap of demons. He didn't need any company. _Especially hers._

Daisuke began to walk towards a forest path when he heard footsteps behind him.

His heart started to skip a beat as he turned around, expecting to see the teary eyed miko crying for his forgiveness.

" _Leaving us so soon? And I thought Inuyasha had a bad temper."_

" _What do you want monk?"_ Daisuke was face to face with Miroku who, more than likely, had heard their conversation just moments before.

" _Before you go, I just wanted to talk to you for a bit if that is okay?"_

" _I don't have time for your mind games."_

Miroku gave a small chuckle. _"I am sad to know you think so lowly of me. I thought I was doing a good job at keeping the peace, especially when I am surrounded by so many hot heads."_

Daisuke turned and continued to walk away.

" _I wish you safe travels. Do know that I was trying to explain why Kagome left to find Inuyasha alone, without telling you."_

" _I'm sure you were."_ Still he walked.

" _It was me. I sent her to look for him."_

Daisuke stopped. He glared over his shoulder to see the monk give a small smile. He wasn't lying. Daisuke was unsure if he should continue walking, or punch the monk out for stirring up shit between him and Kagome again.

He turned around. _"And why the hell would you do something like that."_

" _I see I have peaked your curiosity. If you want me to tell you everything, then come with me. We can talk somewhere private without the others disturbing us. It will also keep Kagome from knowing that you are still around if you still wish to leave after our conversation."_

Daisuke looked at the monk, wondering what he should do. After a moments pause, he spoke up.

" _Fine, lead the way."_

The hunter and monk walked in silence for what seemed to Daisuke as too long. He was starting to get impatient. Arms crossed, eyes keeping a close eye on the monk, he started to debate if this was worth it or not.

Then he pictured Kagome's face, specifically the face she gave him as she was trying to hard to fight back her tears as the water started to pool in her eyes. She was hurting, again. She did nothing wrong. But why did he get so worked up over it?

" _This should do."_ Miroku said, breaking Daisuke's train of thought. Daisuke stopped walking and looked around. They were in a small clearing with nothing but a few puddles of water scattered in patches. Not far off was a cluster of stones and boulders covered in green moss, unmoved for some time.

" _This is where you wanted to talk?"_ Daisuke said, expecting something a little more… inviting.

" _To be honest, I was just walking in hopes to find a nice place to stop. It didn't go as planned."_ The monk awkwardly laughed.

Daisuke signed. _"Let's just get this over with."_ He walked towards the group of boulders and stones and sat beside it. _"Now talk."_

" _Right. Well, what would you like to know?"_ Miroku joked. Daisuke glared in the direction of the monk.

" _Ok, not one for jokes."_ Miroku signed and then looked at the hunter, dead in the face. _"What do you think Kagome's relationship is with us?"_

Daisuke shook his head. _"Friends, if what you say is true."_

" _Ok then."_ Miroku said. _"So what if I made it more specific. What do you think her relationship is like with Inuyasha?"_

Daisuke looked at the monk, unmoved. What was he trying to do?

" _What are you implying?"_

" _Nothing. I am implying nothing!"_ Miroku replied, again with the waving of his hands. _"Like you, I can only assume based on what I see. Inuyasha and the Kagome I know, well, they aren't exactly screaming to the world what they mean to one another."_

Daisuke continued to glare at the monk, trying to read him. As nonchalant and annoying as the monk was, Daisuke was unable to read him clearly. Such a nuisance.

" _What I am trying to say is, Inuyasha has a different way of showing people that he cares. I know you noticed the way he looks at her, or watches her from afar. She's always within view. How he always seems to lose his temper at her the most, or how he gets flustered and says the wrong things. You think he is watching her as prey when in fact, he is watching her as a parent would a child, a man would to the woman he loves, or say a hunter who is in love with a priestess."_

Daisuke scoffed at the monk.

" _So what you're saying is that the half breed is in love with Kagome?"_ Daisuke laughed. _"And is that what you wanted to tell me? Well thank you for that tidbit of information. I am sure that will be of good use to me."_

" _It might mean very little to you, but it means a great deal to Kagome, especially since she is so unsure of everything at the moment. That's why she left to find Inuyasha. She is no stranger to his stares or how he acts around her. So she wanted to find the answer out herself. And how you are reacting to our very conversation, I can tell why she wanted to do this alone."_

" _And you expect me to be okay with her running off with you guys, when we only met you hours before?! Of course I would be pissed. But I still should have been told!"_

" _Kagome has known us a lot longer than she has known you, hunter. It is us who should be weary of you."_

" _Whatever. I am leaving now and I am sure she was all but happy to find out the answer. So why stop me? Shouldn't you be celebrating of my departure?"_

" _See, that's where you are wrong."_ Miroku replied. _"I might not know much about you, but from the little time I was with you, I can tell you this much. You and Inuyasha are a lot alike."_ Daisuke scoffed at this. " _So I ask this, the hunter who I would be willing to bet harvests feelings for Kagome. If she was standing here right now, no memory, would you be able to tell her your true feelings?"_

" _What has this got to do with anything?"_ Daisuke shouted, face turning slightly red from the monk's words.

" _It has a lot to do with everything. But, you wouldn't be able to, would you? You can't even face her now and she remembers who you are."_

Daisuke was getting annoyed. This conversation was going no where with him.

" _Spit it out monk."_

" _Inuyasha is the same way. He cares for Lady Kagome, but I can't see him telling her the truth. In fact, he probably unintentionally did the opposite. Problem being, Kagome does not remember him, but only remembers her time with you."_

" _And?"_

" _And due to those circumstances, in which I am sure you already know, Kagome has developed strong feelings for you as well."_

Daisuke turned away from the monk. Sure, like she would fall in love with someone like him. He constantly pissed her off or hurt her feelings. She had no reason to love him. 

" _Kagome is trying to learn about who she is before her memory was taken. She will be asking a lot of questions, some even you will not be apart of or there for. But she doesn't do this in ill intent."_

" _I know that monk!"_ Daisuke snapped.

" _Then know this too. Inuyasha has the same feelings for Kagome as you do now. So please understand where he is coming from. He will not hurt her. Nor us for that matter."_

" _So what you're asking is for me to trust you guys?"_ Daisuke said flatly.

" _You will need to trust us if you wish to get along well with Kagome as she figures this out on her own. Just like we have to learn to trust you. Remember, we could have taken our chances by forcefully taking Kagome away from you, but we didn't. We chose to try and get along with you, even if just for Kagome's sake."_

Daisuke crossed his arms and started to lean against the mossy rocks.

" _As much as we want to help her, she must do so much on her own. You can understand that, right?"_ Miroku added.

Daisuke didn't know what to even make of this conversation. He knew the monk was right.

Miroku stood back up from his spot and looked down at the hunter.

" _Besides, you know as well as I do, if you leave now than Kagome will follow suit. With her memory as it is, she only knows you. We are the strangers. If that happens, she won't ever regain her memory."_

" _Alright alright!"_ the hunter replied, knowing he couldn't let her do that. He wouldn't be able to live with the guilt if he was the reason she didn't get her memory back. _"I will stay with you."_

" _And?"_

" _And I will put up with you guys for Kagome's sake, even if it means she has to leave me behind some times in order to do it."_ Daisuke added, not exactly thrilled about the idea.

" _Great! Glad we had this talk."_


End file.
